The influence of muscle strength on fear of falling in elderly people

Abstract

Falls are multifactorial events, being described as a public health problem, in which about a third of people over 65 years old fall at least once a year, also being related to intrinsic, extrinsic and behavioral risk factors. Some elements capable of generating fear of falling in elderly people include changes in handgrip strength, health conditions and history of falls. Furthermore, muscle weakness in the lower limbs is a predisposing factor for deficits in postural balance, as this musculature plays an important role in stabilization during gait. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the handgrip strength and isokinetic muscle strength of the knee flexor and extensor muscles in elderly people with and without fear of falls. Elderly people (over 60 years old) were included, being submitted to the evaluation of sociodemographic data, muscle strength of the knee flexor and extensor muscles using isokinetic dynamometry, handgrip strength using the Jamar dynamometer, and fear of falling. through the Scale of Effectiveness of Falls - International (FES-I-BRASIL). The study included 40 volunteers with an average age of
68 years, 32 women and 8 men. It was observed that there was no difference in knee flexor (p=0.66) and extensor (p=0.86) peak torque, as well as handgrip strength (p=0.08) between groups. Additionally, male volunteers had less fear of falling and greater
handgrip strength and higher peak torque of the knee extensor muscles, when compared to female volunteers. Finally, it is concluded that elderly people with fear of falls do not have impairments in the handgrip strength function, as well as in the knee flexor and extensor muscles when compared to elderly people without fear of falls.