Getting around: a simple office workup to assess patient function.
Normal age-related changes in the musculoskeletal, neurologic, and cardiopulmonary systems result in some decline in function for the older patient. The risk of functional loss is heightened when disease and/or a sedentary lifestyle accompany the normal age-related changes. Primary care physicians are in a key position to identify older adults who are at risk to lose function. Two indicators of loss of mobility are lower extremity weakness and balance deficits, and these can be assessed in a simple office work-up. Referral to a physical therapist who specializes in movement analysis may be indicated when an older adult shows signs of functional decline.
Cabrini Nursing Home, New York.
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K
O'Brien
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D009819:Office Visits; D010809:Physical Fitness; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance