Urinary urgency acts as a source of divided attention leading to changes in gait in older adults with overactive bladder.
William GibsonAllyson JonesKathleen F HunterAdrian WaggPublished in: PloS one (2021)
In older adults with OAB, urinary urgency induced similar changes in gait to those caused by a distracting task. These gait changes are associated with increased fall risk. This may be part of the explanation for the association between falls and lower urinary tract symptoms in older people. Future research should examine the effect of pharmacological treatment of OAB on gait and on the effect of dual-task training on gait when experiencing urgency.