Physical Therapy Assessment Tool Threshold Values to Identify Sarcopenia and Locomotive Syndrome in the Elderly

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate sarcopenia and locomotive syndrome in Korean elderly patients, analyze the closely related factors, and determine the threshold for distinguishing participants with sarcopenia, locomotive syndrome, and non-disease. To this end, we enrolled 210 subjects aged 65 years or more and classified them into the sarcopenia (n = 36) and locomotive syndrome (n = 164) groups; a control group was also included (n = 10). We evaluated the characteristics of these patients using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and performed statistical analysis. Our findings showed statistically significant differences between the groups, leading to the derivation of a significant threshold value. The threshold value of the TUG test between the control and locomotive syndrome groups was 9.47 s; the threshold value of the BBS was 54 points, respectively. The threshold value of the TUG test between the locomotive syndrome and sarcopenia groups was 10.27 s, and the threshold value of the BBS was 50 points, respectively. These findings suggest that sarcopenia is closely related to locomotive syndrome, and that sarcopenia and locomotive syndrome can be identified using a physical therapy diagnostic evaluation tool.