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D. Abreu1, R. Freire Junior2, J. Porto1
1Ribeirao Preto Medical School – University of Sao Paulo, Health Sciences, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, 2Federal University of Amazonas, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Manaus, Brazil
Background: The hip and trunk muscle groups are essential for the postural control of older adults. It is estimated that after 50 years of age there is a muscle strength reduction of the lower limb of 1.5% to 5% per year. However, it is not known whether the aging process affects proximal muscle groups in a similar way.
Purpose: To verify the behavior of the muscle strength of the hip and trunk over 2 years in older women. It was expected to find a 3% to 10% reduction in the muscle strength after 2 years.
Methods: Twenty community-dwelling older women, aged between 60 and 76 years (mean ± SD = 67.2 ± 4.64), underwent assessment and reassessment (after 2 years) of the isometric peak torque of hip abductors (PTabd) and adductors (PTad) and trunk flexors (PTflex) and extensors (PText), using an isokinetic dynamometer (Biodex System 4 Pro). The PT of each muscle group in the first and second assessments were compared using the t test for repeated measures, in the SPSS program (Version 17.0), with a significance level set at p≤0.05. This study was approved by local ethic committee at University of Sao Paulo - Ribeirao Preto, SP – Brazil and followed the Helsinki protocol for studies with humans.
Results: After 2 years, there was a reduction of 16.12% in PTabd (p = 0.001) and 8.65% in PText (p = 0.031). On the other hand, there was no difference in PTflex (p = 0.307) and there was a 19.35% increase in PTad (p = 0.008).
Conclusion(s): The aging process affects different proximal muscle groups in different ways. The increase in the hip adductor PT may be due to the greater use of such a muscle group in view of the weakness of the abductors (muscle compensation).
Implications: Understanding the involvement of proximal muscle groups in the aging process is useful for developing strategies to prevent negative outcomes (such as falls and functional decline) in older adults. Thus, the present results indicate that health promotion programs for older adults should contain exercises to improve the strength of the hip abductor and trunk extensor muscles.
Funding, acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) [Finance Code 001].
Keywords: Hip, Trunk, Sarcopenia
Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Committee: Ethics Committee at Ribeirao Preto Medical School
Ethics number: CAAE: 62209916.5.0000.5440
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
