Reduced trunk movement control during motor dual-tasking in older adults

Hum Mov Sci. 2024 Apr 30;95:103223. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2024.103223. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTOlder adults have a decreased trunk movement control which is linked to their higher fall risk. While motor/cognitive dual-tasking deteriorates balance and walking in older adults, there is limited understanding on how trunk kinematics and kinetics are affected by dual-tasking in scenarios where falls can occur. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine the impacts of a challenging motor dual-task, specifically obstacle avoidance during walking, on trunk and lower-body kinematics and kinetics of older adults compared to young adults. The study captured three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data from 12 young adults and 10 older adults as they walked on a treadmill and stepped over an obstacle with both legs. The study analyzed trunk, hip, knee, and ankle angles and torques. Trunk torque was further broken down to trunk muscle torque, gravitational torque, and inertia torque. A linear mixed effects model was used to investigate the difference in each variable between the two groups. Older adults exhibited significantly increased trunk flexion angle and trunk extension muscle torque compared to young adults, with the trunk being the only segment/joint showing differences in both kinematics and kinetics. Trunk torque breakdown analysis revealed that larger trunk flexion led to a larger gravitational torque, which contributed to an increased compensatory trunk muscle t...

Source: Human Movement Science - May 1, 2024 Category: Neurology Authors: Alyssa O Vanderlinden Masood Nevisipour Thomas Sugar Hyunglae Lee Source Type: research