Locomotive Syndrome in the Elderly and Its Risk Factors

Objectives Locomotive Syndrome (LS) refers to reduced mobility due to the impairment of locomotive organs. LS results in movement limitation, loss of balance, pain sensation, muscle weakness, and ultimately increased demand for long-term nursing care. This study aimed to investigate LS in Iranian elderly and its risk factors. Methods & Materials This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 320 community-dwelling elderly people in Qaem Shahr City, Iran, in 2018. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare. The study instruments were demographic form and geriatric locomotive function scale-25 Persian questionnaire. The obtained data were presented by descriptive statistics and logistic regression was used to investigate the correlation between the criterion and predictor variables. All analyses were done in SPSS-V23. Results The Mean +/- SD age of the participants was 69.85 +/- 7.7 years. About 58% of the participants were in the LS group. Variables of age (OR=1.05, increase per 1 year), female gender (OR=2.7), positive history of chronic disease (OR=3.4), and positive history of chronic pain (OR=4.04) were the predictors of LS among elders. Conclusion Regarding the high prevalence of LS and its relationship with demographic factors (age and sex) as well as chronic disease and, chronic pain, screening methods to identify those at risk for LS and taking preventive measures are highly recommended.