抄録
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of muscle thickness and strength in the lover limbs on the dynamic postural stability in older adults. Subjects were young ( n = 23 ) and nursing home and community-avelling older mean and women ( n = 41 ) . The thickness of anterior and posterio femoral and crural muscles were measured using B-mode ultrasouad apparatus. Bilateral isometric leg extension strength was measured on an electromchanical dynamometer. The dynamic postural stabillty. obtained using the Balance Master system included the percentage limits-of-stability (%LOS) and path -length (%Path) to 8 targets positioned in a ellipse the perimeter of which corresponded to 100%. of the rubjects thecoreticallimits-of-stabllity. Significant correlation coeffcients were found between the leg etension strength aod the % LOS for five targets. The thichless of anterior femoral muscles also correlated with the %Los for the six trgets. In young subjects, however, ne signifilcant correltion coeffilcients were found between all parameters. These results suggest that the leg etension strengt aud the thickness of anterior femoral muscles may be more important for the dynamic postural stability in older person as compared with young subjects.
