The Postural Changes of Ageing (5 Marks Question)
Geriatric Rehabilitation:
- It can be defined as medical treatment, prevention, restoration, accommodation, and education.
- Accommodation leads to irreversible effects of normal and pathological aging and involves educating the patient and their family.
Postural Changes:
Upper Extremities:
- Progressively anterior thrust of the head, cervical spine extension, thoracic kyphosis, and straightening of the lumbar spine.
- Increased arm extension and scapular protraction of the shoulder are associated with flexion of the elbow, ulnar deviation of the wrist, and finger flexion.
Lower Extremities:
- Increased hip angulation and knee flexion, decreased ankle dorsiflexion by angulation.
- Diminished arm swing and shorter step length.
- Aging leads to the widening of the bone of the pelvis, increasing the femoral neck-shaft angle, and resulting in valgus deformity of the hip. In women, the knee can develop various deformities with narrowing of the standing base.
- The functional effect of this postural change is the shift of the center of gravity to just anterior to the 2nd and 1st sacral levels.
- The center of gravity is shifted behind the hip by flexing the knee, which may necessitate ambulatory devices such as a cane.
