INTRODUCTION

Many elderly individuals experience a marked, age-related decline of strength which strongly correlates to a functional impairment of daily tasks such as mobility, stair climbing and rising from a chair (Chandler, et al., 1998). However, this strength decline may not be the sole causative factor in a decrease in chair rise performance in the elderly. Other studies on the task of chair rise have focused on stability as one of the major underlying components contributing to difficultly in successfully completing this task (Hughes and Schenkman, 1996). In either case, an understanding of the biomechanical aspects of chair rise performed by the elderly and an examination of how it differs from that of younger individuals is integral to the development of technology and therapy to aid elderly individuals in performing this potentially difficult task.

The purpose of this experiment was to analyze and compare the biomechanical differences between an 86 year old female and a 21 year old female during the task of rising from a chair. This study specifically examined the kinematics surrounding the trunk, thigh and shank segments and the hip and knee joints.