Journal of Applied Physiology Information on EB 2010
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Appl Physiol (July 25, 2003). doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01106.2002
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
95/6/2248    most recent
01106.2002v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Malatesta, D.
Right arrow Articles by Caillaud, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Malatesta, D.
Right arrow Articles by Caillaud, C.
Submitted on December 3, 2002
Accepted on July 25, 2003

Energy cost of walking and gait instability in healthy 65- and 80-year-olds

Davide Malatesta1, David Simar2, Yves Dauvillier3, Robin Candau2, Fabio Borrani2, Christian Prefaut1, and Corinne Caillaud2*

1 Hopital Arnaud de Villeneuve, UPRES 701 - Physiologie des Interactions, Montpellier, France
2 Faculte des Sciences du Sport, UPRES 2991 - Sport Performance Sante", Montpellier, France
3 Hopital Arnaud de Villeneuve, UPRES 701 - Physiologie des Interactions, Montpellier, France; Hopital Gui de Chauliac, Service de Neurologie B, Montpellier, France

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: c.caillaud{at}staps.univ-montp1.fr.

This study tested whether the lower economy of walking in healthy elderly subjects is due to greater gait instability. We compared the energy cost of walking and gait instability (assessed by stride to stride changes in the stride time) in octogenarians (G80, n= 10), sixty-five-year-olds (G65, n= 10) and young controls (G25, n= 10) walking on a treadmill at six different speeds. The energy cost of walking was higher for G80 than for G25 across the different walking speeds (P < 0.05). Stride time variability at preferred walking speed was significantly greater in G80 (2.31 ± 0.68 %) and G65 (1.93 ± 0.39 %) compared with G25 (1.40 ± 0.30 %; P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between gait instability and energy cost of walking at preferred walking speed. These findings demonstrated greater energy expenditure in healthy elderly subjects while walking and increased gait instability. However, no relationship was noted between these two variables. The increase in energy cost is probably multi-factorial and our results suggest that gait instability is probably not the main contributing factor in this population. We thus concluded that other mechanisms, such as the energy expenditure associated with walking movements and related to mechanical work, or neuromuscular factors, are more likely involved in the higher cost of walking in elderly people.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med SciHome page
J. M. VanSwearingen, S. Perera, J. S. Brach, R. Cham, C. Rosano, and S. A. Studenski
A Randomized Trial of Two Forms of Therapeutic Activity to Improve Walking: Effect on the Energy Cost of Walking
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, November 1, 2009; 64A(11): 1190 - 1198.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Neurorehabil Neural RepairHome page
D. S. Reisman, K. S. Rudolph, and W. B. Farquhar
Influence of Speed on Walking Economy Poststroke
Neurorehabil Neural Repair, July 1, 2009; 23(6): 529 - 534.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Br. J. Sports. Med.Home page
H Shimada, T Suzuki, Y Kimura, T Hirata, M Sugiura, Y Endo, K Yasuhara, K Shimada, K Kikuchi, K Oda, et al.
Effects of an automated stride assistance system on walking parameters and muscular glucose metabolism in elderly adults
Br. J. Sports Med., November 1, 2008; 42(11): 922 - 929.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
E. E. Thomas, G. D. Vito, and A. Macaluso
Speed training with body weight unloading improves walking energy cost and maximal speed in 75- to 85-year-old healthy women
J Appl Physiol, November 1, 2007; 103(5): 1598 - 1603.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
J. D. Ortega and C. T. Farley
Individual limb work does not explain the greater metabolic cost of walking in elderly adults
J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2007; 102(6): 2266 - 2273.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
E. P. Weiss, R. J. Spina, J. O. Holloszy, and A. A. Ehsani
Gender differences in the decline in aerobic capacity and its physiological determinants during the later decades of life
J Appl Physiol, September 1, 2006; 101(3): 938 - 944.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
R. C. Browning, E. A. Baker, J. A. Herron, and R. Kram
Effects of obesity and sex on the energetic cost and preferred speed of walking
J Appl Physiol, February 1, 2006; 100(2): 390 - 398.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br. J. Sports. Med.Home page
L Maimoun, D Simar, D Malatesta, C Caillaud, E Peruchon, I Couret, M Rossi, and D Mariano-Goulart
Response of bone metabolism related hormones to a single session of strenuous exercise in active elderly subjects
Br. J. Sports Med., August 1, 2005; 39(8): 497 - 502.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical SciencesHome page
I. M. Olfert, J. Balouch, and O. Mathieu-Costello
Oxygen Consumption During Maximal Exercise in Fischer 344 x Brown Norway F1 Hybrid Rats
J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., August 1, 2004; 59(8): B801 - B808.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 1966 by the American Physiological Society.