Conceptual framework for the associations between trunk and lower limb muscle parameters and physical performance in community-dwelling older women.

Background: Muscle status plays an important role in the achievement of good physical performance. However, which muscle group and muscle parameters are associated with different physical tasks is not well defined.

Objective: To determine the association between trunk and lower limb muscles and physical performance in community-dwelling older women.

Standing balance test for fall prediction in older adults: a 6-month longitudinal study.

Background: A core component of older adult health care assessment includes identifying fall risk, which also includes identifying those with subtle balance deficits.

Objective: To compare body displacement of the Center of Pressure (CoP) and time held during the balance test. Also, to examine whether balance tests at baseline can predict falls after 6 months.

Physical activity components associated with gait parameters in community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: To investigate the association between components of physical activity and spatiotemporal gait parameters in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with 134 independent community-dwelling older adults. A questionnaire was applied to obtain information related to the components of physical activity (frequency, duration, modality, and history of physical activity in the life course) and the GAITRite System was used to quantify gait parameters.

Association between vertebral fragility fractures, muscle strength and physical performance: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Few studies have investigated the association between vertebral fragility fractures and lower limb muscle strength and physical performance in women with low bone mass.

Objectives: To explore whether the presence of vertebral fracture is independently associated with poor physical performance and decreased lower limb muscle strength. To understand whether lower limb muscle strength is associated with physical performance in women with vertebral fracture.

Prediction of Reduced Gait Speed Using 5-Time Sit-to-Stand Test in Healthy Older Adults.

Objectives: To determine the accuracy of the 5-time stand-to-sit (5TSTS) test for the identification of older adults with reduced gait speed.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting And Participants: A total of 559 community-dwelling older adults were included in the study, divided into groups of women (n = 465) and men (n = 94).

Long-term living in unfavorable socioeconomic conditions impairs late-life gait performance.

Background: Low socioeconomic status has been associated with individual health-related problems; however, no study has specifically investigated the impact of socioeconomic disparities on gait performance using an index that considers the population aggregation, as the Human Development Index (HDI). Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess gait parameters of older people living in cities with differences in socioeconomic conditions, identified by HDI.

Methods: Cross-sectional design study conducted with a sample of 233 older people from two Brazilians regions: Coari, state of Amazonas, Brazil (n= 124, low-HDI-Bra) and Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil (n= 109, very high-HDI-Bra).

Rate of Torque Development and Torque Steadiness of the Lower Limb and Future Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Without Previous Falls: A Longitudinal 1-Year Study.

The objective was to investigate the association between rate of torque development (RTD) and torque steadiness (TS) of the lower limb and the occurrence of prospective falls in community-dwelling older adults without falls in the previous year. One hundred older adults performed the tests to obtain the RTD and TS of the hip, knee, and ankle. New episodes of falls were monitored through telephone contact for a prospective period of 12 months.

Usual and dual-task gait adaptations under visual stimulation in older adults at different ages.

Background: During the walk along the streets, older adults are exposed to various visual stimuli that can affect their gait in a harmful or beneficial way.

Aims: To evaluate gait strategies during different situations with and without visual stimulation in older adults to identify the influence of the visual stimulus on these gait parameters.

Methods: A total of 200 older adults were divided into 4 groups according to age range between 60 and 102 years.

The effect of unilateral muscle fatigue of hip abductor muscles on balance and functional capacity in community-dwelling older women.

Background: Hip abductor muscles are important for the maintenance of postural stability, mainly on the mediolateral direction and unipodal support conditions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of unilateral induced fatigue of hip abductor muscles on balance and functional capacity of older women.

Methods: The study included physically independent women aged 60-75 years.

Risk factors for future falls among community-dwelling older adults without a fall in the previous year: A prospective one-year longitudinal study.

Introduction: One of the main risk factor for falls is a history of falls itself. Henceforth, preventing a fall is an important strategy for the prevention of new ones. The objective of the present study was to determine whether personal self-perception questions and functional tests might represent risk factors for a fall during the year following a year without any falls among independent community-dwelling older adults, considering a period of 12 prospective months.

Effect of Aging on Trunk Muscle Function and Its Influence on Falls Among Older Adults.

The objective was to determine whether trunk muscle function is influenced by the aging process and to identify if the trunk can be an important factor in older people's falls over a period of 1 year. The peak torque, rate of torque development, and torque steadiness of the trunk extensors and flexors were compared between a young group, older group (older adults with no episodes of falls), and older faller group (older adults who had suffered at least one fall episode over a period of 1 year) by one-way analysis of variance, followed by the post hoc Tukey test. The adjusted multivariate linear regression was applied to verify the association between the number of falls and the trunk parameters in older adults.

Everyday tasks impair spatiotemporal variables of gait in older adults with Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Although it is known that individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) have difficulties performing dual-task activities, most of the studies have verified the effect of dual tasks on gait using tasks that are uncommon to perform while walking. However, the realization of tasks involving gait that really represents the daily activities carried out by the participants, allow us to detect real fall risk situations of individuals with PD during their gait.

Objective: Our aim was to verify the influence of daily-life dual-tasks on gait spatiotemporal variables of the older adults with PD.

Kinematic gait parameters for older adults with Parkinson's disease during street crossing simulation.

Safe street crossing is important for older adults' social inclusion. We assessed gait kinematic adaptation under different simulated street crossing conditions in older adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) and made comparisons with older adults without PD to understand how PD interferes in outdoor task performance, helping in the development of strategies to reduce road traffic accident risk. In 20 older adults without PD (control group - CG) and 20 with PD (GPD), we assessed usual gait (C1), gait during street crossing simulation (C2), and gait during reduced-time street crossing simulation (C3).

Association between the trunk muscle function performance and the presence of vertebral fracture in older women with low bone mass.

Background: Despite the clinical importance, it has remained unclear which changes in the trunk muscle function parameters are more associated with the presence of vertebral fracture (VF).

Aims: The aim of this study was to verify the association between the trunk muscle function performance and the presence of VF in older women with low bone mass. The secondary aim was to evaluate the correlation between trunk muscle function and both fall history and muscle mass.

Effects of the Use of Anchor Systems in the Rehabilitation of Dynamic Balance and Gait in Individuals With Chronic Dizziness of Peripheral Vestibular Origin: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the anchors in the balance rehabilitation of participants with chronic peripheral vestibulopathy who failed to respond positively to conventional rehabilitation for dynamic balance and gait.

Design: Assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Department of Otoneurology and Laboratory of Assessment and Rehabilitation of Equilibrium.

Use of the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest for Fall Risk Prediction in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Between 60 and 102 Years of Age.

Background And Purpose: Reference values for the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) and the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) need to be established to predict falls in older adults during every stage of aging. The purpose of this study was to determine the cutoff scores for the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest for community-dwelling older adults in order to predict fall risk.

Methods: A total of 264 older adults, of both sexes, between the ages of 60 and 102 years, were divided into 4 groups according to age range.