Study Finds Aging Ankles Stiffen in 107 Adults, Cutting Push-Off Efficiency

3 articles · Updated · studyfinds.com · Jun 9

107 adults aged 26 to 86 showed a clear age-linked shift in walking: older participants' ankles acted more like stabilizing braces than propulsion engines, with weaker late-step push-off despite higher muscle activity.
During stance, opposing shin and calf muscles increasingly fired at the same time, stiffening the joint when it should move more freely; researchers tie that pattern to declining joint-position sensing and a stability-first nervous-system response.
Force and motion data from barefoot walks over a 12-meter path showed older adults kept the ankle more upward-tilted during push-off and generated less forward-driving force, helping explain slower, more fatiguing walking.
The authors say rehabilitation may need to target muscle timing, tendon function and proprioception—not just leg strength—though the cross-sectional study cannot prove how any one person's gait changes over time.