Abstract
Bean JF, Kiely DK, LaRose S, Leveille SG. Which impairments are most associated with
high mobility performance in older adults? Implications for a rehabilitation prescription.
Objective
To test which rehabilitative impairments are associated with higher mobility performance
among community-dwelling, mobility-limited older adults.
Design
Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from participants within a randomized controlled
trial.
Setting
Outpatient rehabilitation research center.
Participants
Community-dwelling older adults (N=138; mean age, 75.4y) with mobility limitations
as defined by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB).
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Balance measured via the Berg Balance Scale, leg strength, leg velocity, submaximal
aerobic capacity, body mass index (BMI), and mobility performance as measured by the
SPPB.
Results
Each of the 5 physiologic attributes (unipedal balance, leg strength, leg velocity,
submaximal aerobic capacity, BMI) was categorized into tertiles by using lower values
as reference for impairment status. Within an adjusted model, measures associated
with higher SPPB performance (>9) included a BBS score greater than or equal to 54
(odds ratio [OR]=4.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–18.60), leg strength greater
than or equal to 21.5N/kg (OR=30.35; 95% CI, 5.48–168.09), leg velocity .0101 to .0129m·s−1·kg−1 (OR=5.31; 95% CI, 1.25–22.57), and leg velocity greater than or equal to .0130m·s−1·kg−1 (OR=22.86; 95% CI, 3.88–134.75).
Conclusions
Our investigation highlights the importance of rehabilitative impairments in leg strength,
leg velocity, and balance as being associated with mobility status as measured by
the SPPB. In our sample of participants within an exercise trial, submaximal aerobic
capacity and BMI status were not associated with mobility performance. These findings
suggest that the augmentation of not only leg strength and balance but also leg velocity
may be important in the rehabilitative care of mobility-limited older adults.
Key Words
List of Abbreviations:
BBS (Berg Balance Scale), BMI (body mass index), CI (confidence interval), DLP40 (double leg press power measured at 40%), ETT (exercise tolerance test), OR (odds ratio), RM (repetitions maximum), SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Footnotes
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
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Copyright
© 2008 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
