Higher Variability in Power Seen in Older Adults with Increased Fall Risk During Functional Tasks

Abstract

Overall reduced power and strength has been associated with increased fall risk in older adults. Often these measurements reflect the maximum capacity available during isometric and isokinetic tests but seldom reflect the capacity to perform functional tasks like standing up and sitting down. PURPOSE: To determine the differences in functional lower extremity power between healthy older adults (OA) and those at high fall risk (FA). METHODS: 15 participants in each group with mean age of 72.1 (OA) and 77.6 (FA) years completed 5 times sit to stand as a part of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Concentric, eccentric and total power were calculated using data collected from the feet positioned on the force plates. An independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were run to compare the groups. RESULTS: See table 1. CONCLUSIONS: A higher variability in power seen in older adults with increased fall risk suggests that the ability to consistently produce the required power may be related to increased fall risk. This could particularly be important when older adults perform functional activities in fatigued state. Though not significantly different, lesser peak force but greater power produced by FA group suggests that they took longer time to complete the task. Further research needs to be done to validate this information.Table 1: Mean (SE) of Dependent VariablesSD - Standard Deviation; CV - Coefficient of Variation; p < 0.05 – statistically significant