Leg extension power asymmetry and mobility limitation in healthy older women
Portegijs, E., Sipilä, S., Alen, M., Kaprio, J., Koskenvuo, M., Tiainen, K., & Rantanen, T. (2005). Leg extension power asymmetry and mobility limitation in healthy older women. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86, 1832-1842. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2005.03.012
Published in
Archives of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationDate
2005Discipline
Gerontologia ja kansanterveysCopyright
© 2005 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation. This is a final draft version of an article whose final and definitive form has been published by Elsevier Inc. Published in this repository with the kind permission of the publisher.
Objective
To investigate the association of asymmetry in leg extension power (LEP) with walking and standing balance.
Design
Cross-sectional analysis.
Setting
Research laboratory.
Participants
Healthy female twins (N=419), ages 63 to 75 years.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
The LEP difference between the stronger and the weaker leg, measured with the Nottingham power rig, was calculated. Ten-meter maximal walking velocity was assessed in a laboratory corridor on a wide (170cm) and narrow (35cm) track, and the ability to maintain tandem stance for 20 seconds was recorded.
Results
The mean LEP difference ± standard deviation between the legs was 15%±9% (P<.001). Those with large LEP difference had lower walking velocity and poorer standing balance than those with small LEP difference, in particular when the LEP of the stronger leg was below the median.
Conclusions
Even in healthy older women, substantial LEP asymmetry between the lower l
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