Características de produção de torque articular no sentar e levantar de indivíduos jovens e idosos

Abstract

Aging negatively affects the neuromusculoskeletal system causing changes in the biomechanics characteristics of movements and, consequently, differences in the motor strategies by young and elderly to perform a same functional task. Purpose: To verify whether torque production and joint contribution in the lower limbs differ between young and elderly during the sit to stand task. Material and methods: 15 young and 15 elderly participated in the study. The participants performed the sit-to-stand test and had kinetic and kinematic data recorded during the execution. Hip, knee, and ankle joint torque data in the sagittal plane produced at the peak of vertical ground reaction were analyzed and statistically compared between groups and between the joints for each lower limb. Results: Young produced larger total lower limb torque (F=9.01 and p=0.01) and knee torque (F=23.76 and p<0.001) compared to the elderly. Young and elderly produced larger total lower limb torque (F = 35.63 and p <0.001) and hip torque (F = 20.36 and p <0.001) with the right limb. There were no differences in the contribution of joints to total lower limb torque between young and elderly. Conclusion: Although the young present larger lower limb torque compared to the elderly, there were no differences in the motor strategy presented by the young and elderly for the task of standing up considering the joint torque contributions and asymmetries.