title: Quickness of trunk movements in a seated position, regardless of the direction, is more important to determine the mobility in the elderly than the range of the trunk movement.
abstract: Although trunk function is known to be critical for maintaining balance during gait, a detailed evaluation regarding the relationship between trunk function and mobility has not been performed. We previously reported that the ability of quick lateral trunk movements in a seated position reflects mobility in elderly people. In this study, we further examined whether trunk movement in the anterior-posterior direction is also a determinant of mobility. In addition, the correlation between range of lateral trunk movement and mobility was also examined. One hundred and forty community-dwelling elderly participants (73.3±6.2 years) were enrolled in this study. We performed various trunk movement tests in a seated position, such as the seated side tapping test (SST), the seated anterior-posterior tapping test (APT), and the lateral sitting functional reach test (sitting reach test). Maximum gait speed and the timed up and go test (TUG) were performed to determine mobility. Parameters of trunk movement were compared. SST and APT showed moderate significant correlations with both maximum gate speed and TUG, while the sitting reach test weakly correlated (SST r=-0.58, p<0.01, APT r=-0.63, p<0.01, sitting reach test r=0.30, p<0.01). Moreover, multiple regression analysis revealed that SST and APT were independent indicators of both maximum gate speed and TUG, while the sitting reach test was not. These findings indicate that quickness, regardless of the direction of the movement, is more important than range in determining mobility in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan. Electronic address: iwata@rehab.osakafu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan; Department of Rehabilitation, Osaka General Medical Center, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.
authors.forename: Kuniharu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Sciences, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuchioka
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Elderly; Gait speed; Seated anterior–posterior tapping test (APT); Seated side tapping test (SST); TUG