Aging modifies joint power and work when gait speeds are matched

Abstract

It is well known that ankle joint power generation (A2) is reduced in healthy older adults (OG) during gait. No general consensus exists, however, as to what fundamental compensatory actions are made at the knee and hip joints by the OG to compensate for this loss of power. The failure to control gait speed may account for this lack of agreement. This study investigated the effect of aging on lower limb joint power and work during gait. The gait patterns of eight old (OG: 66.8±5.4 yr) and 12 young adults (YG: 26.6±2.9 yr) were recorded for a range of matched speeds (1.0 m s(-1), 1.3 m s(-1), 1.6 m s(-1)). Speed did not differ between the groups. Combining speeds, the OG generated 17% less A2..