Age-induced changes in the lower limb muscle activities during uphill walking at steep grades

The strikingly long activation of the BF until the mid-stance phase in elderly people at steep gradients is an unexpected, new finding. It suggests that, instead of pushing, elderly people “pull” themselves uphill. In cases of evacuations, the lower physical fitness levels of elderly passengers and their increased need for assistance on inclined surfaces have to be planned for in advance. Considering the findings in (home) training programmes might help elderly people to strengthen lower limb muscles and to enhance the efficiency of muscle activation patterns enabling them to manage steep inclinations more easily.