Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between crural tissue hardness and the frequency of falls in community-dwelling elderly outpatients who visited hospital following lower limb surgery. [Subjects] The subjects of the study were 22 elderly persons. [Methods] Posterior crural tissue hardness was measured using a tissue hardness meter. The results of the operated and the non-operated sides were compared. Subjects’ history of falls, walking speed, use of gait-assistive devices, structural deformities of the back, and drug use were also investigated using a fall risk index. [Results] The comparison of the operated and non-operated sides indicated significant differences in crural tissue hardness when subjects’ ankles were in maximal dorsiflexion. No significant differences were observed when their ankles were in plantarflexion of 0°. Furthermore, according to the fall risk index, the subjects’ propensity for falls increased with age. [Conclusion] The differences in muscle function between the operated and non-operated sides when the ankles are in dorsiflexion may lead to falls in the daily lives of community-dwelling elderly individuals. This suggests that the elderly should perform functional compensatory movements.
