Toward a better understanding of gait changes with age and disablement: neuromuscular adaptation.
Gait changes in the elderly, such as reduced step length and walking speed, are well documented but not well understood. This review explores the hypothesis that neuromuscular adaptations are a response to age-related impairments and play a key role in causing gait changes in the elderly, and that different neuromuscular adaptations may exist depending on the impairment and presence of comorbidities, such as knee arthritis.
McGibbon
Chris A
CA
Biomotion Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA 02114, USA. cmcgibbon@partners.org
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000368:Aged; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology