Older Adults with Weaker Muscle Strength Stand up from a Sitting Position with More Dynamic Trunk Use.

Rob Van Lummel,Peter Beek,Jaap Van Dieën,Jordi Evers,Martijn Niessen

doi:10.3390/s18041235

Abstract

The ability to stand up from a sitting position is essential for older adults to live independently. Body-fixed inertial sensors may provide an approach for quantifying the sit-to-stand (STS) in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to determine whether measurements of STS movements using body-fixed sensors yield parameters that are informative regarding changes in STS performance in older adults with reduced muscle strength. In twenty-seven healthy older adults, handgrip strength was assessed as a proxy for overall muscle strength. Subjects were asked to stand up from a chair placed at three heights. Trunk movements were measured using an inertial sensor fixed to the back. Duration, angular range, and maximum angular velocity of STS phases, as well as the vertical velocity of the extension phase, were calculated. Backwards elimination using Generalized Estimating Equations was used to determine if handgrip strength predicted the STS durations and trunk kinematics. Weaker subjects (i.e., with lower handgrip strength) were slower during the STS and showed a larger flexion angular range and a larger extension angular range. In addition, weaker subjects showed a greater maximum angular velocity, which increased with lower seat heights. Measurements with a single inertial sensor did reveal that older adults with lower handgrip strength employed a different strategy to stand up from a sitting position, involving more dynamic use of the trunk. This effect was greatest when elevating body mass. Trunk kinematic parameters were more sensitive to reduced muscle strength than durations.

Highlights

The ability to stand up from a sitting position is essential for older adults to live independently and maintain an adequate level of physical activity
Measurements with a single inertial sensor did reveal that older adults with lower handgrip strength employed a different strategy to stand up from a sitting position, involving more dynamic use of the trunk
The aim of this study was to investigate whether measurements of STS movements using body-fixed sensors yield parameters that are informative regarding changes in the STS kinematics in older adults with reduced muscle strength by using handgrip strength (HGS) as a proxy for overall muscle strength

Summary

Introduction

The ability to stand up from a sitting position is essential for older adults to live independently and maintain an adequate level of physical activity. Older adults with a better sit-to-stand (STS). Performance compared to age-matched controls showed shorter sitting periods, longer standing periods, and a higher number of locomotion periods in daily life, which indicates a more active lifestyle [1]. In community-dwelling older adults, sedentary behavior caused in part by difficulty to stand up was associated with increased risk of sarcopenia [2] and mortality [3,4,5]. Previous research clarified the dynamics of the STS movement to better understand its dynamics. Schenkman et al distinguished four STS phases, which include the flexion momentum phase, the momentum transfer phase, the vertical extension phase, and the stabilization phase [6].

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