title: Ankle muscle strength discriminates fallers from non-fallers.
abstract: It is well known that center of pressure (CoP) displacement correlates negatively with the maximal isometric torque (MIT) of ankle muscles. This relationship has never been investigated in elderly fallers (EF). The purpose of this study was thus to analyze the relationship between the MIT of ankle muscles and CoP displacement in upright stance in a sample aged between 18 and 90 years old that included EF. The aim was to identify a threshold of torque below which balance is compromised. The MIT of Plantar flexors (PFs) and dorsal flexors (DFs) and CoP were measured in 90 volunteers: 21 healthy young adults (YA) (age: 24.1 ± 5.0), 12 healthy middle-aged adults (MAA) (age: 50.2 ± 4.5), 27 healthy elderly non-fallers (ENF) (age: 75.5 ± 7.0) and 30 EF (age: 78.8 ± 6.7). The MIT of PF and DF were summed to obtain the overall maximal ankle muscle strength. Body weight and height were used to normalize MIT (nMIT) and CoP (nCoP), respectively. nCoP correlated negatively with nMIT. 90% of EF generated an nMIT <3.1 N·m·kg(-1), whereas 85% of non-fallers generated an nMIT >3.1 N·m·kg(-1). The relationship between nMIT and nCoP implies that ankle muscle weakness contributes to increased postural instability and the risk of falling. We observed that below the threshold of 3.1 N·m·kg(-1), postural stability was dramatically diminished and balance was compromised. Our results suggest that measuring ankle torque could be used in routine clinical practice to identify potential fallers.
authors.affiliation: Faculté des sciences du sport-UFR STAPS, Université de Bourgogne Dijon, France ; INSERM unité 1093, Cognition, action et plasticité sensorimotrice Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cattagni
authors.affiliation: Faculté des sciences du sport-UFR STAPS, Université de Bourgogne Dijon, France ; INSERM unité 1093, Cognition, action et plasticité sensorimotrice Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scaglioni
authors.affiliation: INSERM unité 1093, Cognition, action et plasticité sensorimotrice Dijon, France ; INSERM CIC 1432, Plateforme d'Investigation Technologique, CHU de Dijon Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Davy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laroche
authors.affiliation: Faculté des sciences du sport-UFR STAPS, Université de Bourgogne Dijon, France ; INSERM unité 1093, Cognition, action et plasticité sensorimotrice Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Hoecke
authors.affiliation: INSERM unité 1093, Cognition, action et plasticité sensorimotrice Dijon, France ; INSERM CIC 1432, Plateforme d'Investigation Technologique, CHU de Dijon Dijon, France ; Pôle rééducation-réadaptation, CHU de Dijon Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gremeaux
authors.affiliation: Faculté des sciences du sport-UFR STAPS, Université de Bourgogne Dijon, France ; INSERM unité 1093, Cognition, action et plasticité sensorimotrice Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martin
keywords: aging; ankle joint; elderly fallers; muscle strength; postural stability