The aging human neuromuscular system expresses less certainty for selecting joint kinematics during gait

This investigation quantitatively characterized the certainty of the aging neuromuscular system in selecting a joint range of motion during gait based on the statistical concept of entropy. Elderly and young control groups walked on a treadmill at a self-selected pace. Joint angles were calculated f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience letters 2003-09, Vol.348 (3), p.155-158
Main Authors: KURZ, Max J, STERGIOU, Nicholas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aging - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Biomechanical Phenomena
Exercise Test - methods
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gait - physiology
Humans
Joints - physiology
Muscle, Skeletal - innervation
Muscle, Skeletal - physiology
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
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Summary:This investigation quantitatively characterized the certainty of the aging neuromuscular system in selecting a joint range of motion during gait based on the statistical concept of entropy. Elderly and young control groups walked on a treadmill at a self-selected pace. Joint angles were calculated for the ankle, knee and hip. We hypothesized that the aging group would exhibit less certainty in selecting a joint range of motion during gait. Our results supported this hypothesis, and indicated that aged individuals demonstrated statistically less certainty for the knee (16.8%) and hip (24.6%). We suggest that neurophysiological changes associated with aging may result in less certainty of the neuromuscular system in selecting a stable gait.
ISSN:0304-3940
1872-7972
DOI:10.1016/S0304-3940(03)00736-5