title: Toward a better understanding of gait changes with age and disablement: neuromuscular adaptation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Biomotion Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA 02114, USA. cmcgibbon@partners.org
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: McGibbon
mesh_terms: 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