Shoulder Pain, Rotator Cuff Tear, Coordination, and Mobility in Aging

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Project Summary: Mobility limitation is a major burden to public health, affecting one-third of adults 65 years and older. Mobility limitation is predictive of disability, hospitalization, falls and mortality in older populations. The contribution of lower limb dysfunction to mobility limitation is well established. The influence of upper-limb dysfunction on mobility performance is less well understood. Shoulder pain and rotator cuff tear are common in adults 65 years and older. Well-known manifestations of shoulder pain or rotator cuff tear include lower performance on subjective measures of activities of daily living and lower performance on objective measures of shoulder strength and range of motion. Recent studies suggest that impaired rhythmic interlimb coordination variability between shoulders is associated with mobility limitation in healthy older adult populations. We hypothesize that the presence of shoulder pain or rotator cuff tear alters the rhythmic interlimb coordination variability between shoulders in community-dwelling older adults. The first aim of the proposal investigates the association of rhythmic interlimb coordination variability between shoulders during overground walking with mobility performance in a population which includes community-dwelling older adults with shoulder pain or rotator cuff tear. The second aim of the proposal investigates the association of shoulder pain or rotator cuff tear with rhythmic interlimb coordination variability during overground walking. The knowledge gained from this proposal will inform future studies designed (1) to test novel strategies for identifying community-dwelling older adults who are vulnerable to develop mobility limitation and (2) to test novel interventions designed to slow functional declines in community-dwelling older adults with mobility limitation.