RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: With the increasing number of older adults and their declining motor and cognitive function, it is crucial to find alternative methods for assessing physical functionality. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the Time Up and Go (TUG) test, the 4 Meter Walk Test and the Barthel Index (BI) have been used to evaluate mobility and fragility and predict falls. But some of these functional test tasks could be difficult to perform for frail older adults or bedridden patients that cannot ambulate. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between these functional tests and the power elbow flexion (PEF test). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A correlation study was designed with 41 older adults over 65 years of age. The upper limb muscle power was measured using a linear encoder (VITRUBE VBT) with the flexion of the elbow. RESULTS: Strong correlations were found between the PEF test and the 4mWT (rho = 0.715, p = 0.001) and TUG (rho= -0.768, p = 0.001), indicating that the greater the upper limb muscle power is, the greater physical performance will be. Moderate correlations were also found between the PEF and Barthel Index (rho = 0.495, p = 0.001) and SPPB (rho = 0.650, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong correlation between PEF and the functional tests, proving that older adults that have greater upper limb muscle power have better physical performance. Upper limb muscle power and PEF could be an interesting tool for the assessment of physical performance in bedridden older adults.
RESUMEN
Aging is associated with a decrease in functional capacity, manifested by a loss of strength, physical performance and muscle quality. Multicomponent training (MCT), characterized by the combination of at least three types of training, could be a good strategy to counteract these changes. To date there are no studies evaluating the effectiveness of MCT in improving both physical performance and muscle quality simultaneously. The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes produced by an MCT program on both physical performance and muscle quality in a population of healthy older adults. Sixteen healthy older adults were recruited to perform a 15-session multicomponent training intervention. Physical performance was assessed by different functional tests, and muscle quality was assessed by tensiomyography and myotonometry. The main results of this study show some improvement in functional tests, but not in muscle quality parameters, except for vastus lateralis stiffness. MCT is able to generate improvements in the physical performance of older adults, but these improvements are not reflected in muscle quality parameters measured by tensiomyography and myotonometry.
