Abstract
We studied reproducibility and validity of lower limb supporting force with commercial scales in 43 elderly people with dysfunction (average age 84.8 ± 6.5). The measured reproducibility of lower limb supporting force was generally good with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.823. Lower limb supporting force, standardized as the ratio of lower limb supporting force to body weight, showed a significant positive correlation with BI and walking speed, suggesting the validity of lower limb support value. In discriminant analysis of 25 subjects with walking ability and 18 subjects without, a lower limb supporting force: body weight ratio of 42.9% gave the best result, correctly classifying 86.0% of the subjects. From these results, lower limb supporting force measured by this method is useful as a simple evaluation of lower limb function of elderly people with dysfunction, and they suggest the possibility of it becoming an indicator of whether walking is possible or not.
