Abstract
As people age, muscular power tends to decline to a greater extent than muscular strength. This may have a detrimental impact on balance and functionality. However, the relationship between vertical power and dynamic balance and agility are not completely understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether power production during a chair stand is related to 8 Foot Up-and-Go (UPGO) time. METHODS: Participants included residents of an independent living retirement community (N=31, M=81 ± 6.81 years). The UPGO required participants to stand and walk around a cone 8 feet away and return to a seated position as quickly as possible. Muscular power was assessed using a Tendo Power Analyzer ™ during a maximum velocity chair stand conducted five times. A one minute rest period was given between each trial. RESULTS: After removal of an outlier, no relationship existed between the UPGO and average (r=-.04, p=.85) and peak (r=-.11, p=.57) power. CONCLUSION: The lack of a relationship between power production and the UPGO may indicate other factors are more influential in dynamic balance and agility performance. Differing movement angles of the tests may have also played a role in the results. Future research should evaluate the influence other factors, such as muscular strength or reaction time, might have on UPGO performance, as well as account for angular differences.