Hanke Timothy A, Tiberio David
Midwestern University, Physical Therapy Program, 555 3 st Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA.
J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2006;29(1):22-7.
Voluntary and protective stepping performance changes with age. This has implications for the problem of falls in older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of metronome paced stepping practice on self-selected preferred rhythmic unipedal stepping performance in the medial-lateral direction among younger, middle-aged and older adults.
Thirty-two healthy adult subjects (0 younger, 0 middle-aged, 2 older) participated. They performed rhythmic lateral stepping with their dominant limb at their preferred pace before and after 6 trials of metronome-paced stepping.
Older subjects had longer stride periods than young and middle-aged subjects prior to metronome pacing. Older subjects exhibited a 25% decrease in preferred stride period between pre- and postpacing trials. This is compared to a 5% and 11 % decrease exhibited by middle-aged and younger subjects respectively. Preferred stride period was similar for older subjects as compared to younger and middle-aged subjects after paced practice. Modification of the stride period occurred mainly during the stance phase of rhythmic stepping.
Comparable stride periods across groups after pacing suggest stepping performance is modifiable. Brief intervals of paced stepping may offer older adults a short-term benefit to stepping performance.
自主且具有保护性的迈步表现会随着年龄而变化。这对老年人跌倒问题具有影响。本研究的目的是探讨节拍器 paced 迈步练习对年轻、中年和老年人在内侧-外侧方向上自我选择的偏好节律单足迈步表现的影响。
32 名健康成年受试者（0 名年轻、0 名中年、2 名老年）参与。他们在进行 6 次节拍器 paced 迈步试验前后，以其偏好的速度用优势肢体进行节律性侧向迈步。
在节拍器 pacing 之前，老年受试者的步幅周期比年轻和中年受试者更长。老年受试者在迈步前和迈步后试验之间的偏好步幅周期减少了 25%。相比之下，中年和年轻受试者分别减少了 5%和 11%。在 paced 练习后，老年受试者与年轻和中年受试者相比，偏好步幅周期相似。步幅周期的改变主要发生在节律性迈步的站立阶段。
pacing 后各年龄组步幅周期可比表明迈步表现是可改变的。简短的 paced 迈步间隔可能会给老年人的迈步表现带来短期益处。
