Ameliorating Disability through Power Training

描述（由申请人提供）：65岁以上的老年人中，几乎有四分之一的人受到行动不便的影响，这已被证明是残疾和机构化的前兆。在那些最受限制的人中，肌肉力量，单位时间内完成肌肉工作的能力，与预测残疾的功能任务密切相关。肌肉力量是一种独立的属性，而不是在晚年急剧下降的力量。最近，在老年生活中保持肌肉力量已被确定为老年学研究的重中之重。本申请的候选人是一名理疗师，一名临床研究员，拥有运动生理学硕士学位，专门研究老年康复。申请人的目标是评估八背心运动（一种肌肉力量训练（MPT））对行动不便的老年人功能丧失的影响。申请人及其合作者通过对行动不便的老年人的初步研究，证明了下肢肌肉力量与重要功能表现之间的密切关系。此外，初步研究表明，MPT不仅安全，而且在纠正下肢运动障碍方面比力量训练更有效。最后，申请人正在调查加权背心运动的潜力，初步结果表明其有效性。该奖项围绕以下活动进行：1)利用加权背心练习进行试点干预试验，这是一种潜在的家庭MPT类型，适用于行动能力严重受限的老年人；2)通过继续作为共同研究者参与研究密切相关问题的RO1来完善我的职业发展规划；3)完成临床试验方法的研究，并利用这些先前的经验作为随机对照试验的基础，以适当地评估非机器MPT对包括残疾在内的所有残疾结果的影响；4)发展技能，专业知识和经验，成为老年康复领域成功的独立临床医生科学家。该提案包含了一个强大的环境和指导计划，包括来自老龄化和康复领域的领先机构和个人。它将为锻炼在保持晚年功能方面的作用提供重要的见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Limitations in mobility affect almost one in 4 individuals over 65 and have been demonstrated to be predictive of disability and institutionalization. In those most limited, muscular power, the ability to perform muscular work per unit time, is closely associated with the functional tasks that predict disability. Muscular power is a separate attribute from strength declining more precipitously in late life. The preservation of muscular power in late life has been recently identified as high priority for gerontological research. The candidate in this application is a physiatrist, a clinician researcher with a Masters in Exercise Physiology, who specializes in geriatric rehabilitation. It is the applicant's goal to evaluate the influence of eight Vest Exercise a form of muscle power training (MPT) on functional loss in mobility limited elders. Through pilot studies in elders with mobility limitations, the applicant and his collaborators have demonstrated the close relationship between lower extremity muscular power and important tasks of functional performance. Additionally, pilot studies have shown that MPT is not only safe, but also more potent than strength training at correcting lower extremity motor impairments. Lastly, the applicant is investigating the potential of Weighted Vest Exercise, having preliminary results demonstrating its effectiveness. This award is framed around the following activities: 1) conducting a pilot intervention trial utilizing weighted vest exercise, a potential home-based type of MPT in elders with significant mobility limitations; 2) enhance my career development plan through continued involvement as co-investigator in an RO1 studying closely related issues; 3) completing studies in clinical trial methodology and utilizing these previous experiences as the basis for a randomized controlled trial, that is appropriately powered to evaluate the influence of non-machine based MPT on all disablement outcomes, including disability; and 4) develop the skills, expertise and experience to become a successful independent clinician scientist within the field of geriatric rehabilitation. This proposal contains a strong environment and mentorship plan containing leading institutions and individuals from the fields of Aging and Rehabilitation. It will provide important insights into exercise's role in preserving late life functioning.