Gait speed and dismobility

A Diagnosis of Dismobility—Giving Mobility Clinical Visibility: A Mobility Working Group Recommendation

Steven R. Cummings, MD; Stephanie Studenski, MD, MPH; Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD
JAMA. 2014;311(20):2061-2062. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.3033.

Slow gait limits independence, decreases quality of life and is associated with an increased risk of disability, hospitalization, placement in long-term care, and accelerated clinical progression of many chronic diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and dementia. Slow gait speed is also a predictor of all-cause mortality.


http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics/gait_disorders_in_the_elderly/gait_disorders_in_the_elderly.html

At age 75, slow walkers die ≥ 6 yr earlier than normal velocity walkers and ≥ 10 yr earlier than fast velocity walkers. Gait velocity slows because elderly people take shorter steps at the same rate (cadence). The most likely reason for shortened step length (the distance from one heel strike to the next) is weakness of the calf muscles, which propel the body forward; calf muscle strength is substantially decreased in elderly people. However, elderly people seem to compensate for decreased lower calf power by using their hip flexor and extensor muscles more than young adults.

I wonder if strengthening calf muscles makes any difference. Couldn't hurt.

Strengthening your calves