Abstract
The purpose of this study was to inquire the effect of ambulation on the 1st postoperative day upon femoral muscle strength in elderly patients. Subjects were surgical patients with gastro-intestinal diseases aged 40-59 and over 60 years. The number of subjects were 1) ambulatory group who began to walk on the 1st postoperative day: 40-59 years old; 9, over 60 years old; 12, and 2) control group: 8 and 11 patients respectively. As indicator of femoral muscle strength, we chose a sectional area of muscle, which reflected physiological muscle strength and was estimated from femoral circumference and skinfold. Changes in the sectional area was investigated during pre- and postoperative periods, and rates of decrease were compared between ambulatory group and control group on the one hand, and between those aged 40-59 and over 60 years on the other.
Findings were as follows:
1. The ambulatory group showed less decrease of the sectional area in both patients aged 40-59 and over 60 years.
2. In the ambulatory group, both classes of patients aged 40-59 and over 60 years showed similar decrease curves of sectional area, but in the control group, the decrease of the sectional area for patients of over 60 years old was greater than that for those of 40-59 years old.
3. In the control group of patients of over 60 years old, the later they began to walk, the greater was the decrease in the sectional area of muscle.
