Kim Hyun Kyung, Chou Li-Shan
Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
Gait Posture. 2022 Mar;93:166-176. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2022.02.014. Epub 2022 Feb 14.
Declines in muscular function may hinder our ability to properly respond balance perturbations during walking. Examining age-related differences in muscle activation during balance-perturbed walking could be an important summary of literature to guide future clinical or scientific research.
Are there differences in lower limb muscle activation between young and older adults when responding to balance perturbations during walking?
A literature search was conducted in October 2020 to identify relevant articles using Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid EMBASE, and CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were defined to identify studies investigating lower limb muscle activation in healthy older adults during balance-perturbed walking. Data extraction was independently performed by both authors. Outcome measures included key findings of lower limb muscle activations during walking and balance-related tasks (e.g. multidirectional perturbations, different speeds, cognitive tasks, slippery/slopes, and obstacles).
This article reviewed fourteen studies including 230 older adults (age: 70 ± 4.5, females: 124 [53.9%]) and 230 young adults (age: 23 ± 2.0, females: 113 [49.1%]). The overall quality of included studies was fair, with a mean score of 76%. Twelve lower limb muscles were assessed during balance-perturbed walking. All studies reported electromyographic measurements, including magnitude, timing, co-contraction indices, and variability of activation.
Compared to young adults, older adults demonstrated different adaptations in lower limb muscle activation during balance-perturbed walking. Co-contraction of ankle and knee joint muscles had more conclusive results, with the majority reporting an increased co-contraction in older adults, especially when balance is perturbed by a physical task. These data suggest that coordination between agonist and antagonist muscles is important to provide necessary stabilization during balance-perturbed walking.
肌肉功能下降可能会妨碍我们在行走过程中对平衡扰动做出适当反应的能力。研究在平衡受扰行走过程中肌肉激活的年龄相关差异，可能是指导未来临床或科研的重要文献综述。
在行走过程中对平衡扰动做出反应时，年轻人和老年人下肢肌肉激活是否存在差异？
2020年10月进行文献检索，使用PubMed、Scopus、科学网、Ovid EMBASE和CINAHL识别相关文章。定义纳入标准以识别研究健康老年人在平衡受扰行走过程中下肢肌肉激活的研究。数据提取由两位作者独立进行。结果测量包括行走和平衡相关任务（如多方向扰动、不同速度、认知任务、滑倒/斜坡和障碍物）期间下肢肌肉激活的主要发现。
本文综述了14项研究，包括230名老年人（年龄：70±4.5岁，女性：124名[53.9%]）和230名年轻人（年龄：23±2.0岁，女性：113名[49.1%]）。纳入研究的总体质量为中等，平均得分为76%。在平衡受扰行走过程中评估了12条下肢肌肉。所有研究均报告了肌电图测量结果，包括幅度、时间、共同收缩指数和激活变异性。
与年轻人相比，老年人在平衡受扰行走过程中下肢肌肉激活表现出不同的适应性。踝关节和膝关节肌肉的共同收缩有更确凿的结果，大多数研究报告老年人的共同收缩增加，尤其是在平衡受到体力任务扰动时。这些数据表明，在平衡受扰行走过程中，主动肌和拮抗肌之间的协调对于提供必要的稳定性很重要。
