Changes In Motor Function In The Elderly: Gait, Balance And Joint Compliance

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to achieve an integrated understanding of changes in sensory-motor performance which occur as healthy people grow older. Measurements are made in healthy aging subjects to compare alterations in the neural signal processing, muscle strength, joint stiffness, walking, and postural steadiness. Parameters of sensory-motor performance from healthy aging subjects will be used as a template against which to compare elderly patients with a history of falling or neurologic or orthopedic disease. Disorders of balance and stability are among the most sig- nificant health problems of the aging population; falls are a major cause of mortality, morbidity, immobility, and premature nursing home placement). The annual incidence of falling for persons living in the community is 30% of those over the age of 65, and 40% of those over the age of 80 (I). The "elderly" (persons 65 years and older) face increased risk of death from a fall; they are also more likely to suffer severe nonfatal injuries from falling than younger persons. Falls account for 87% of all fracms in the elderly. Among people age 65 years or older, approximately 9500 deaths per year are attributable to falls; the incidents in which a fall initiates or contributes to a chain of events that culminates in death is probably