News

Key Points

• The plantar flexion movement speed of the ankle (the ability to move the ankle quickly) is gaining attention as an important factor for walking.
• While plantar flexion movement speed decreases by approximately 26% with aging, no difference was found between men and women.
• Movement speed needs to be considered as a separate indicator from muscle strength, which differs between genders as well as with aging.

Overview

It is known that ankle plantar flexion strength is an important factor for human walking, and recently, the speed of ankle plantar flexion movement has been highlighted as a factor affecting walking speed.

A research group led by Atsuki Kanayama, a graduate student at Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science (Doctoral Program, 3rd year, Graduate School of Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Osaka Prefecture University), and Professor Akira Iwata, measured the plantar flexion movement speed of 550 individuals aged 18 to 91 to examine changes due to aging and gender.
The results showed that while plantar flexion movement speed decreases by approximately 26% with aging, there is no difference in this ability between men and women. Since plantar flexion strength decreases with aging and varies between genders, movement speed needs to be considered as a separate indicator. This suggests the necessity of training movement speed with different strategies from muscle strength in rehabilitation to improve walking function in the elderly.

This research was published online in the international academic journal "Scientific Reports" on December 22, 2023.

Age-related changes and sex differences in ankle plantarflexion velocity. Atsuki Kanayama, Saki Yamamoto, Ryoga Ueba, Mio Kobayashi, Toshimitsu Ohmine & Akira Iwata. Scientific Reports 13, Article No.22943 (2023).

Our research group is dedicated to studying the "maintenance and improvement of walking function," which is essential for elderly individuals to lead healthy and fulfilling daily lives. By focusing on the function of "movement speed," the theme of this research, we aim to establish new training methods that are enjoyable and safe for the elderly to engage in.

Prof. Iwata and Mr.Kanayama(PhD student)