Relationship between the ability to select the position in a movement task and gait speed of the elderly

Abstract

[Purpose] This study aimed to determine the relationship the ability to select the position in a movement task has with gait speed. [Subjects] One hundred twenty community-dwelling elderly people participated. [Methods] The ability to select the position was calculated by the ratio of the results of the seated side tapping test (SST) and the conditional SST (cSST). SST requires the subjects to move their bodies bilaterally as quickly as possible in a seated position with the distance between the feet chosen by the subjects, and the time is measured. On the other hand, the foot breadth is set at 30 cm in the cSST. We also measured gait speed, knee strength, and trunk muscle endurance. We examined the relationship between gait speed and the ability to select the position. [Results] The subjects with high ability to select the position showed significantly greater gait speed. In addition, multiple regression analysis revealed that the ability to select the position, knee strength, and age were significantly associated with gait speed. [Conclusion] Our results highlight that the ability to select the position in a movement task has a large effect on gait speed of community-dwelling elderly subjects. © 2014 by the Society of Physical Therapy Science.