Effect of age on voluntary force and cross-sectional area of human adductor pollicis muscle

Abstract

Muscle weakness accompanies ageing but its causes are still uncertain. We report maximum voluntary force measurements of adductor pollicis muscle, normalized for cross-sectional area, in twenty-three elderly subjects. Normalized force was lower in the elderly compared with a group of fifty-five young adult subjects by 27 +/- 4% (S.E.M.). This shows that atrophy alone is not the cause of the weakness of old age.