The Relationship of Balance to Muscle Strength and Gait Speed in Community-Dwelling Elderly Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of balance to muscle strength and gait speed in community-dwelling healthy women. Fifty healthy women (≧ 60 years) participated in this study. All subjects ambulated independently without walking aids. We measured the static postural sway during standing with eyes open and eyes closed, functional balance measures (functional balance scale, FBS; functional reach, FR), isokinetic knee extension muscle strength and 10 m maximum gait speed. FBS, FR, muscle strength and gait speed correlated negatively with age. The static postural sway was not correlated with age. When age was the control variable, FBS and FR correlated the positively with gait speed. These results suggest that the functional balance measures may be important factors in gait ability in community-dwelling elderly women. © 1999, The Society of Physical Therapy Science. All rights reserved.