Association between toe flexor strength and spatiotemporal gait parameters in community-dwelling older people

Background: the toe flexor muscles perform a crucial function to control foot movement and assist with propulsive force when walking. however,the association between toe flexor strength and spatio-temporal gait parameters is largely unknown. spatiotemporal gait parameters represent gait characteristics,and are good measures of the functional status and degree of safe ambulation among community-dwelling older adults. herein,we examined the association between the toe flexor strength and spatiotemporal gait parameters in community-dwelling older adults. methods: ninety-three community-dwelling older people (mean age: 73.2 ± 4.2 years,53 women) participated in this study. the strength of the toe flexor muscles was assessed using a toe strength measuring instrument and a strain gauge. the measurements were performed once on each foot,and the average of the right and left was used in the analysis. gait analysis was performed on a 15-m walkway under usual- a nd fast-pace conditions. the medial 10-m walking time was measured and walking speed was calculated. acceleration and angular velocity of the right heel were measured using a wireless miniature sensor unit and used to compute cadence,percent of swing time in gait cycle (%swing time),and stride length. results: in multiple regression analyses adjusted for age,sex,body height,body weight,and hand grip strength,no associations between toe flexor strength and spatiotemporal gait parameters at usual pace were found. conversely,under the fast-pace condition,decreased toe flexor strength was significantly associated with slower walking speed (β = 0.22,p = 0.049),lower%swing time (β = 0.34,p = 0.009),and shorter stride length (β = 0.22,p = 0.011) after adjustment. conclusion: in community-dwelling older people,decreased strength of toe flexor was correlated with slower walking speed,shorter periods of single-limb support phase,and shorter stride length during fast-pace walking. these data provide further support for an important role of toe flexor muscles in walking. © 2014 misu et al.; licensee biomed central ltd.