Limb Strength and Balance in Community-Dwelling Older Women

Abstract

Strength and balance deficits are important factors contributing to falls risk in the community-dwelling older women. PURPOSE: To investigate upper and lower limb strength and static and dynamic balance in community-dwelling older women. METHODS: Forty-three active female volunteers, aged 60 to 89, were divided into three groups: G1 (under 65 years, n=16); G2 (65 to 74 years, n=14); and G3 (75 years and above, n=13). Their upper limb strength - hand grip (HG), lower limb strength - 30 seconds chair stand (STS), dynamic balance - timed up-and-go test (TUGT) and static balance - bipedal anterior-posterior sway with eyes open and closed (APO and APC, respectively), and bipedal medial-lateral sway with eyes open and closed (MLO and MLC, respectively) were assessed. RESULTS: Polynomial Trend analysis showed that most variables decreased significantly and linearly across the 3 age categories (HG: F=4.92, p=0.032; STS: F=5.82, p=0.021; TUGT: F=7.92, p=0.008; APC: F=6.27, p=0.016; MLO: F=5.63, p=0.023; MLC: F=4.59, p=0.038), but HG and MLC also had a quadratic component (F=11.31, p=0.002 and F=4.30, p=0.045, respectively). Specifically, HG held up well into the mid-seventies, then dropped markedly; while MLC declined immediately after women turned 65. GH and STS were significantly inter-correlated (r=0.39 p=0.01), and both were significantly correlated with dynamic balance function - TUGT (r=-0.40 p=0.008 and r=-0.65 p<0.001, respectively); however neither of them was significantly correlated with any static balance measures. In addition, significant correlations were only observed between open and closed eyes balance conditions in the same postural sway direction (APO and APC: r=0.55 p<0.001; MLO and MLC: r=0.55 p<0.001), not between different postural sway directions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important implications for therapeutic exercise interventions designed to maintain and improve strength and balance in community-dwelling older women.