Abstract
Objectives
To determine whether lower extremity sensorimotor peripheral nerve deficits are associated
with reduced walking endurance in older adults.
Design
Prospective cohort study with 6 years of follow-up.
Setting
Two university research clinics.
Participants
Community-dwelling older adults enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition
Study from the 2000–2001 annual clinical examination (N=2393; mean age ± SD, 76.5±2.9y;
48.2% men; 38.2% black) and a subset with longitudinal data (n=1178).
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Participants underwent peripheral nerve function examination in 2000–2001, including
peroneal motor nerve conduction amplitude and velocity, vibration perception threshold,
and monofilament testing. Symptoms of lower extremity peripheral neuropathy included
numbness or tingling and sudden stabbing, burning, pain, or aches in the feet or legs.
The Long Distance Corridor Walk (LDCW) (400m) was administered in 2000–2001 and every
2 years afterward for 6 years to assess endurance walking performance over time.
Results
In separate, fully adjusted linear mixed models, poor vibration threshold (>130μm),
10-g and 1.4-g monofilament insensitivity were each associated with a slower 400-m
walk completion time (16.0s, 14.4s, and 6.9s slower, respectively; P<.05 for each). Poor motor amplitude (<1mV), poor vibration perception threshold,
and 10-g monofilament insensitivity were related to greater slowing per year (4.7,
4.2, and 3.8 additional seconds per year, respectively; P<.05), although poor motor amplitude was not associated with initial completion time.
Conclusions
Poorer sensorimotor peripheral nerve function is related to slower endurance walking
and greater slowing longitudinally. Interventions to reduce the burden of sensorimotor
peripheral nerve function impairments should be considered to help older adults maintain
walking endurance—a critical component for remaining independent in the community.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
Health ABC (Health, Aging and Body Composition), LDCW (Long Distance Corridor Walk)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 03, 2015
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institute on Aging (contract nos. N01-AG-6–2101, N01-AG-6–2103, N01-AG-6–2106; grant no. 1-R01-AG 028050), the National Institute of Nursing Research (grant no. R01-NR012459), the University of Pittsburgh Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (pilot grant no. P30-AG024827), and in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging.
Disclosures: A.I.V. reports a financial relationship with Merck, ISIS Pharmaceuticals, and Pamlab outside the submitted work. The other authors have nothing to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
