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Lower Extremity Strength Plays Only a Small Role in Determining the Maximum Recoverable Lean Angle in Older Adults

¹ Department of Movement Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio.
³ Department of Exercise & Sport Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis.

Address correspondence to Mark D. Grabiner, PhD, Department of Movement Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 808 S. Wood St., Room 690B, CME 690 M/C 994, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: grabiner{at}uic.edu

Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which measures of lower extremity strength and power contribute to the ability of older men and women to restore postural equilibrium using a single-step recovery following a large postural disturbance.

Methods. The postural disturbance, which has been used as a surrogate for forward-directed falls, involved a sudden release from a forward-leaning angle. The ability to recover using a single step was evaluated as the maximum recoverable lean angle for 56 healthy older women and men. Maximum voluntary isometric and isokinetic strength was measured for ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion, knee flexion and extension, and hip flexion and extension. Discriminant analysis was used to determine the strength measures that best classified participants as members of the highest (n = 14) or lowest (n = 14) quartiles of maximum recoverable lean angle. Those variables were subsequently entered into a regression analysis to characterize the relationship between strength and maximum recoverable lean angle for the entire participant sample.

Results. Maximum isokinetic dorsiflexion strength at 90°/s satisfied the criteria of the stepwise discriminant analysis, and correctly classified 82.1% of the participants in the highest or lowest quartiles of maximum recoverable lean angle. The multiple regression procedure, performed on all participants (n = 56) revealed a significant quadratic relationship between maximum isokinetic dorsiflexion strength at 90°/s and maximum recoverable lean angle (R² = 0.295; p <.001).

Conclusions. Lower extremity strength makes a small, but significant contribution to maximum recoverable lean angle. However, because 70% of the shared variability remained unaccounted for, it is suggested that other performance factors, such as coordination, may be of greater importance to performance of this time-critical motor task.