Hip muscle strength and function in very elderly women

Objective: To establish normative data for hip abductors and extensors and to investigate the relationship between these muscles, quadriceps femoris and functional ability. Subjects: Twenty healthy elderly women, mean age 84 ± 3.1 years took part; test-retest reliability was established in six healthy elderly women, mean age 75 ± 9.1 years. Main outcome measures: Isometric hip abductor, hip extensor and quadriceps femoris strength, leg extensor power (LEP), walking speed over 6 m, functional reach and stepping on to blocks of differing height. Results: Intraclass correlations of 0.98 and 0.99 and coefficient of variations (CV) between occasions of 4.7% and 7.2% were established for hip abductor and extensor measurements. The best correlations were between walking speed and strength of quadriceps femoris (p <0.001), between function reach and LEP (p <0.001). LEP was the most significant predictor of functional reach and step height climbed; quadriceps strength was the most significant predictor of walking speed. Conclusions: The data provide a baseline for future studies with less healthy women.