journal articles
SKIN TACTILE PERCEPTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LONGITUDINAL GAIT PERFORMANCE IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER JAPANESE COMMUNITY DWELLERS
Rei Otsuka, Shu Zhang, Rumi Kozakai, Chikako Tange, Sayaka Kubota, Kanae Furuya, Fujiko Ando, Hiroshi Shimokata, Yukiko Nishita, Hidenori Arai
J Frailty Aging 2025;14(1)
BACKGROUND: Skin tactile perception may indicate frailty in older adults. Although gait performance is crucial for diagnosing frailty, its association with skin tactile perception has not yet been explored.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between skin tactile perception and changes in step length, cadence, and gait speed in middle-aged and older adults.
DESIGN: A longitudinal study (mean follow-up: 10.8 years)
SETTING: Community-based survey
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,403 middle-aged and older adults (aged 40–79 years, 53.6 % men) from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging were included in this study. These participants completed the baseline survey (1997–2000) and at least two follow-up surveys (2000–2012), had no history of cerebrovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or Parkinson's disease, and had complete data with no outliers in skin tactile perception measurements.
MEASUREMENTS: Skin tactile perception was assessed using a two-point discrimination test. Step length (cm), cadence (steps/min), and gait speed (m/min) were evaluated on an 11-m walkway at a usual speed.
RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 56.4 years. After full adjustment, mixed-effects models with splines revealed that the association between skin tactile perception and gait parameters varied with age. In adults aged 60 and above, we observed non-linear relationships between skin tactile perception and gait parameters. A consistent inflection point around 10 mm in tactile perception was identified across different age groups and gait parameters.
CONCLUSIONS: Among community-dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults, skin tactile perception was associated with changes in gait parameters, particularly in those aged 60 and above. The 10-mm threshold in tactile perception may serve as a critical indicator for predicting changes in gait performance. Skin tactile perception tests may prove clinically useful for screening patients at elevated risk of impaired gait performance.
CITATION:
Rei Otsuka ; Shu Zhang ; Rumi Kozakai ; Chikako Tange ; Sayaka Kubota ; Kanae Furuya ; Fujiko Ando ; Hiroshi Shimokata ; Yukiko Nishit ; Hidenori Arai (2025): Skin tactile perception is associated with longitudinal gait performance in middle-aged and older Japanese community dwellers. The Journal of Frailty and Aging (JFA). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjfa.2024.100006