Age-Related Changes in Mobility Evaluated by the Timed Up and Go Test Instrumented through a Single Sensor

Mangano, Giulia Rita Agata; Valle, Maria Stella; Casabona, Antonino; Vagnini, Alessandro; Cioni, Matteo

doi:10.3390/s20030719

Cited by 26 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…TUG is a simple test embedding several tasks (stand up from a chair, walk forward, turn around an obstacle, walk back to the chair, and sit down) represented by total time. It is possible that the TUG single components may have presented a different behavior across the aging process [46] and combined with RA. This hypothesis should be further explored.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quadriceps muscle properties in rheumatoid arthritis: insights about muscle morphology, activation and functional capacity

et al. 2020

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Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory and chronic autoimmune disease that leads to muscle mass loss and functional capacity impairment, potentiated by physical inactivity. Despite evidences demonstrate neuromuscular impairments in RA patients, aging effects may have masked the results of similar previous studies. The aim of study was to verify (i) the effects of RA on functional capacity and muscle properties in middle-aged patients and (ii) the association between age, clinical characteristics, quadriceps muscle properties and functional capacity. Methods Thirty-five RA women and 35 healthy age-matched women were compared with the following outcomes: (i) physical activity level through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); (ii) timed-up and go (TUG) test; (iii) isometric knee extensor muscular strength; and (iv) vastus lateralis muscle activation and muscle architecture (muscle thickness, pennation angle and fascicle length) during an isometric test. An independent Student t-test and partial correlation (controlled by physical activity levels) were performed, with p < 0.05. Results Compared with healthy women, RA presented (i) lower physical activity level (− 29.4%; p < 0.001); (ii) lower isometric knee extensor strength (− 20.5%; p < 0.001); (iii) lower TUG performance (− 21.7%; p < 0.001); (iv) smaller muscle thickness (− 23.3%; p < 0.001) and pennation angle (− 14.1%; p = 0.011). No differences were observed in muscle activation and fascicle length. Finally, the correlation demonstrated that, with exception of TUG, muscle strength and muscle morphology were not associated with age in RA, differently from healthy participants. Conclusion Middle-aged RA patients’ impairments occurred due to the disease independently of the aging process, except for functional capacity. Physical inactivity may have potentiated these losses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quadriceps muscle properties in rheumatoid arthritis: insights about muscle morphology, activation and functional capacity

et al. 2020

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“…This behaviour indicated that no prediction in posture and locomotion coupling were engaged by older subjects and the response to perturbation was likely to rely mainly on compensatory reactions. Previous studies have suggested that older adults adopt APAs to ensure stability in performing demanding tasks, such as change direction during walking (Paquette et al 2008 ; Mangano et al 2020 ) or following postural perturbations (Kanekar and Aruin 2014 ), with a marginal age-related decline. However, older adults have shown a diminished ability in the use and efficacy of APAs in ensuring stability following external perturbations in the frontal plane (Claudino et al 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age differences in anticipatory and executory mechanisms of gait initiation following unexpected balance perturbations

et al. 2020

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Purpose An age-related decline in anticipatory postural mechanisms has been reported during gait initiation; however, it is unclear whether such decline may jeopardize whole-body stability following unexpected balance perturbations. This study aimed to compare young and older individuals’ ability to generate postural responses and preserve stability in response to external waist perturbations delivered within gait initiation. Methods Ten young and ten older participants performed 10 gait initiation trials followed by 48 unperturbed and 12 perturbed trials in a random order. A stereophotogrammetric system and three force platforms were used to quantify mechanical parameters from the preparatory phase (e.g., timing and amplitude of postural adjustments) and from the stepping phase (e.g., step characteristics and dynamic stability). Activation patterns of lower leg muscles were determined by surface electromyography. Results Older participants responded to perturbation with lower increase in both magnitude (p < 0.001; η2p = 0.62) and duration (p = 0.001; η2p = 0.39) of preparatory parameters and soleus muscle activity (p < 0.001; η2p = 0.55), causing shorter (p < 0.001; η2p = 0.59) and lower (p < 0.001; η2p = 0.43) stepping, compared to young participants. Interestingly, young participants showed greater correlations between preparatory phase parameters and dynamic stability of the first step than older participants (average r of − 0.40 and − 0.06, respectively). Conclusion The results suggest that young participants took more time than older to adjust the anticipatory biomechanical response to perturbation attempting to preserve balance during stepping. In contrast, older adults were unable to modify their anticipatory adjustments in response to perturbation and mainly relied on compensatory mechanisms attempting to preserve stability via a more cautious stepping strategy.

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“…Both gait and TUG tests were performed using a miniaturized wearable inertial sensor (G-Sensor ® , BTS Bioengineering S.p.A., Italy) previously employed for similar investigations in older adults [ 40 , 47 – 49 ], as well as in individuals with neurologic disorders [ 50 , 51 ]. The sensor was attached to the individual’s trunk using a semi-elastic belt at two different positions which approximately corresponded to S1 vertebrae (for gait analysis) and L1 vertebrae (for TUG test) locations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical assessment of gait and functional mobility in Italian healthy and cognitively impaired older persons using wearable inertial sensors

et al. 2020

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Aim The main purpose of the present study was to verify the feasibility of wearable inertial sensors (IMUs) in a clinical setting to screen gait and functional mobility in Italian older persons. In particular, we intended to verify the capability of IMUs to discriminate individuals with and without cognitive impairments and assess the existence of significant correlations between mobility parameters extracted by processing trunk accelerations and cognitive status. Methods This is a cross-sectional study performed on 213 adults aged over 65 years (mean age 77.0 ± 5.4; 62% female) who underwent cognitive assessment (through Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Revised, ACE-R) instrumental gait analysis and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test carried out using a wearable IMU located in the lower back. Results Individuals with cognitive impairments exhibit a peculiar gait pattern, characterized by significant reduction of speed (− 34% vs. healthy individuals), stride length (− 28%), cadence (− 9%), and increase in double support duration (+ 11%). Slight, but significant changes in stance and swing phase duration were also detected. Poorer performances in presence of cognitive impairment were observed in terms of functional mobility as overall and sub-phase TUG times resulted significantly higher with respect to healthy individuals (overall time, + 38%, sub-phases times ranging from + 22 to + 34%), although with some difference associated with age. The severity of mobility alterations was found moderately to strongly correlated with the ACE-R score (Spearman’s rho = 0.58 vs. gait speed, 0.54 vs. stride length, 0.66 vs. overall TUG time). Conclusion The findings obtained in the present study suggest that wearable IMUs appear to be an effective solution for the clinical assessment of mobility parameters of older persons screened for cognitive impairments within a clinical setting. They may represent a useful tool for the clinician in verifying the effectiveness of interventions to alleviate the impact of mobility limitations on daily life in cognitively impaired individuals.

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Age-Related Changes in Mobility Evaluated by the Timed Up and Go Test Instrumented through a Single Sensor

Cited by 26 publications

References 48 publications

Quadriceps muscle properties in rheumatoid arthritis: insights about muscle morphology, activation and functional capacity

Quadriceps muscle properties in rheumatoid arthritis: insights about muscle morphology, activation and functional capacity

Age differences in anticipatory and executory mechanisms of gait initiation following unexpected balance perturbations

Clinical assessment of gait and functional mobility in Italian healthy and cognitively impaired older persons using wearable inertial sensors

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