Age and muscle strength mediate the age-related biomechanical plasticity of gait.

PURPOSE: Old compared with young adults walk with reduced ankle and increased hip mechanical output. We examined the idea that age, leg strength, or both are related to the age-related changes in mechanical output during gait.

METHODS: Healthy young (n = 32, age 21.5 years) and old adults (n = 32, age 76.8 years) participated in biomechanical gait analyses at 1.5 m/s and were also measured for maximal leg strength.

RESULTS: Analysis 1 confirmed previous data as old compared with young adults walked with 50 % more hip positive work and 18 % less ankle positive work. Analysis 2 showed that leg strength did not affect gait kinetics in groups of subjects with similar ages. In a weak young and a strong old group, Analysis 3 showed that old adults still walked with 23 % greater hip positive work. The group by joint interaction in Analysis 4 was suggestive of an even greater reliance on hip and less reliance on ankle work in weak compared with strong old adults.

CONCLUSIONS: Age and leg strength both contribute to the age-related changes in mechanical output during gait. Exercise prescription, normally targeting the knee extensors, should also involve ankle and hip muscles.