Analysis of age-related difference in lower limb muscle activation pattern and movement strategies during walking balance control on a compliant surface

Substantial evidence demonstrates that falls in older adults are leading causes of fatal and non-fatal injuries and lead to negative impacts on quality of life in the aging population. Most falls in elderly fallers result from unrecoverable limb collapse during falling momentum control in the single limb support (SLS) phase. To understand why older adults are more likely to fall than younger adults, we investigated age-related differences in knee extensor eccentric control, lower limb muscle activation patterns, and their relation to balance control. Ten older and ten younger healthy adults were compared during balance control while walking on a compliant surface. There was a positive correlation between knee extensor eccentric work of perturbed leg and swinging leg’s speed and margin of stability. In comparison to younger adults, older adults demonstrated 1) smaller eccentric work, reduced eccentric electromyography burst duration in the perturbed leg, 2) higher postural sway during SLS, and 3) impaired swinging leg balance control. The group specific muscle synergy showed that older adults had a prominent ankle muscle activation while a prominent hip muscle activation in younger adults. These findings provide insight into targeted balance rehabilitation directions to improve postural stability and reduce falls in older adults.