Impacts of Muscle Strength and Balance Control on Sit-To-Walk and Turn Durations in the Timed up and Go Test

Publication date: Available online 30 April 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Tzurei Betty Chen, Li-Shan Chou
ObjectiveTo examine the association of muscle strength and balance control with the amount of time taken to perform sit-to-walk (STW) or turning components of Timed Up and Go test (TUG) in elderly adultsDesignCorrelations; multiple regression models.SettingGeneral community.ParticipantsSixty elderly adults over the age of 70 years recruited from the community.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome Measure(s)Muscle strength, balance control and TUG performance time. Muscle strength was quantified by peak joint moments during the isometric maximal voluntary contraction test for bilateral hip abductors, knee extensors, and ankle plantar flexors. Balance control was assessed with Berg Balance Scale, Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale, as well as the center of mass and ankle inclination angle derived during TUG performance.ResultsWe found that balance control measures were significantly associated with both STW and turning durations even after controlling for muscle strength and other confounders (STW duration: p < 0.001, turning duration: p = 0.001). Adding strength to the regression model was found to significantly improve its prediction of STW duration (F change = 5.945, p = 0.018), but not turning duration (F change = 1.03, p = 0.14).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that poor balance control is an important factor that contributes to longer STW and turning durations on the TUG. Furthermore, strength has a higher association with STW than turning duration.



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