Muscle mass and gait characteristics in older women fallers vs. Non-fallers

Background: Falling is a major public health concern of elderly people. We aimed to determine if lean mass and spatiotemporal gait parameters could predict the risk of falling in elderly women and also study the relationships between lean mass and gait characteristics. Methods: Twenty-four community women were prospectively recruited (mean age, 72.30 ± 5.31 years). Lean mass was measured using dual-energy fan-beam X-ray absorptiometry. Gait characteristics were assessed using spatiotemporal analysis. Fall risks were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Falls Efficacy Scale-International. Fall histories were recorded. Appropriate statistical analyses were applied to determine lean mass and gait characteristics in predicting the risk of fall and the associations between lean mass and gait characteristics. Results: There were 14 participants (58.33%) with fall histories. Patients with fall histories had a significantly narrower base of support and lower BBS score. However, only the base of support was significantly associated with fall risk (odds ratio, 0.415; p = 0.022). Lean mass was significantly negatively associated with proportion of swing phase and positively associated with proportions of stance and double-support phases. Conclusion: Fall risk among elderly women can be predicted using base of support, where a narrower base predicts a greater fall risk. Although the lean mass was not related to risk of fall, lean mass is still related to some gait characteristics.