Human Locomotion
Tom’s Corner
Dr. Michaud chooses clinically relevant articles & summarizes them for your educational reading pleasure.
Effects of two types of 9-month adapted physical activity program on muscle mass, muscle strength, and balance in moderate sarcopenic older women. Piastra G, et al. BioMed Research International Volume 2018 (Open Access).
In this study, 72 older adults were randomly assigned to a strength training program or a postural training program. Both the strength training and postural programs were performed twice per week for 36 weeks with each session lasting 60 minutes. The strengths training program consisted of a brief warm-up, followed by low/moderate intensity exercises for both the upper and lower extremities. Postural exercises consisted of a wide range of stretches and mobilizations, including “spine...
Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. Araujo C, et al. Br J Sports Med 2021.
In this study, 1702 individuals between the ages of 51 and 75 were followed for 12 years. At the start of the study, subjects were asked to stand on one leg and balance with their eyes open for 10 seconds. To ensure consistency, subjects were told to keep their arms at their sides with their elbows straight and to fix their gaze on an eye-level point that was 6 feet away. To reduce compensatory movements, they were told to place the top of the non-support foot on the back of the opposite...