Falls are a major cause of decreased mobility and disability in the elderly
. Multiple factors are believed to contribute to falling. Among these, gait
abnormalities have drawn attention as a possible risk factor. Although pre
vious studies have revealed few differences in gait parameters compared wit
h similar aged controls, it was hypothesized that because of intrinsic diff
erences in balance and motor control, we would observe differences in joint
kinetics. In this study, 15 subjects (mean age, 77 +/- 9 yr), who had at l
east 2 mo of repeated falls from an unclear cause, were evaluated in a gait
laboratory and were compared with a control group of 15 subjects (mean age
, 75 +/- 5 yr) with no history of falls. Analysis of data demonstrated a si
gnificantly greater peak torque in the falls group for the following: hip f
lexion, hip adduction, knee extension, knee varum, ankle dorsiflexion, and
ankle eversion (P < 0.003 in each comparison). Also, ankle plantarflexion t
orque was significantly decreased in the falls group (P = 0.001). Joint pow
ers showed different absorption at the knee and ankle in the falls group. T
he discovery of these kinetic differences may provide further insight into
the mechanism of falls in the elderly and, more importantly, lead to identi
fiable markers to detect those who may be susceptible to falls.