Foot Characteristics and Falls among Community-dwelling Independent Elderly Women Who Can Walk Outdoors.

Objective: We examined the toe flexor strength, foot morphology, and falls in community-dwelling elderly women who could walk outdoors independently without aids.

Methods: The presence or absence of falls in 1 year, the toe flexor strength, and foot morphology were recorded in 70 women. Hallux valgus was defined as a first phalangeal angle ≥16°.

Association Between Toe Flexor Strength and Activity Levels in Community-Dwelling Japanese Older Women.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between toe flexor strength and the daily activity levels in 56 Japanese older women aged between 70 and 88 years. The activity levels were measured as the average number of steps/day using a pedometer and the life space assessment (LSA) scores. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare toe flexor muscle strength and the LSA scores between those with fewer than and more than 6,000 steps/day.

Frequency analysis of the center of pressure in tandem stance in community-dwelling elderly.

[Purpose] The present study aimed to clarify the effects of balance control on the pronation and supination movements of the talocrural joint in community-dwelling elderly women by conducting a frequency analysis of the center of pressure during tandem stance. [Subjects and Methods] The study participants were 18 subjects who maintained tandem stance for 20 s and 11 who had difficulty maintaining tandem stance for 20 s. The frequency-power spectra were computed and classified into three frequency bands.