THE INFLUENCE OF TORQUE AND ANGULAR VELOCITY ON MUSCLE POWER IN OLDER WOMEN WITH OBESITY

Abstract

Introduction: Muscle power is the product of torque and velocity of skeletal muscle contraction, and it has important implications for disability and mortality. Women, older adults, and individuals with obesity are susceptible to losing muscle power. However, whether a loss of joint torque or angular velocity is more influential to power loss in this population has not been established.Purpose: To determine the contributions of joint torque and angular velocity to low muscle power in older women with obesity. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 43 older women with obesity, divided into low power (n=22) and high power (n=21) groups. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to determine differences in optimal torque and optimal velocity between the groups. Results: Maximal muscle power was 52.4% lower in the low power group (p < 0.001.) Also in the low power group, optimal torque was 40.8% lower (p < 0.001), while optimal velocity was 10.3% lower (p > 0.05). Age, body mass, height, BMI, KL score, and race did not differ between groups. Conclusions: Low torque was the primary contributor to low maximal muscle power, while velocity was reduced to a lesser extent. Understanding the specific contributions of torque and velocity to low power may provide insight into the mechanisms of and remediations to power loss among older adults.