Relationship between gait speed and trunk muscles in frail elderly individuals.
Shinichi Noguchi, Takumi Jiroumaru, Wachi Michio and 6 others
PMID 34083875WHAT IT FOUND
In 12 frail older adults, thicker lower abdominal and deep core muscles correlated with faster walking.
This links trunk structure to gait speed but does not prove that strengthening these muscles improves walking or prevents falls.
Key findings
01Free gait speed showed positive correlations with the thickness of the lower rectus abdominis, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis muscles.
02Fastest gait speed also showed positive correlations with the thickness of the lower rectus abdominis, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis muscles.
03The iliopsoas muscle thickness did not show a positive correlation with gait speed in this group.
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (12 participants), which limits the reliability of the correlations found. The study design was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine whether thicker muscles cause faster walking or if slower walking leads to muscle wasting. Participants had a range of care needs (support level 1 to care level 4), which may introduce variability in their physical function. The measurement point for the iliopsoas was close to its insertion, which may have affected the accuracy of the thickness reading for that muscle.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that strengthening the lower abdominals or transverse abdominis will increase gait speed. This study only shows a link between muscle thickness and walking speed in a tiny group of frail older adults; it did not test an exercise intervention.