Neither total muscle activation nor co-activation explains the youthful walking economy of older runners

Most studies report that older adults ( ≥65 years) select slower preferred walking speeds than young adults (≤45 years) [1,2]. Among older adults, a slower preferred walking speed is associated with the loss of functional independence [3] and is a key predictor of mortality [4]. A contributing factor to the reduced preferred walking s peeds of older adults compared to young adults may be their 10-25% greater rate of mass-normalized metabolic energy expenditure at a given walking speed (worse walking economy) [1,5].

Source: Gait and Posture - July 20, 2018 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Owen N. Beck, Alena M. Grabowski, Justus D. Ortega Source Type: research