ABSTRACT
Mobility limitations are so endemic among older adults that they are used as a common lay idiom for aging itself. The image of a hobbling man with a cane to represent aging speaks to this universal phenomenon. Mobility limitations are a major contributor to loss of independent functioning. The causes of mobility limitations involve the complex interactions of multiple systems. Since so many biopsychosocial processes influence mobility, dysmobility (defined here as abnormal mobility that interferes with function) can be considered a final common pathway. Dysmobility may represent one important way to summarize the integrated effects of aging and multiple comorbidities on health and functioning. Treatment strategies for mobility disorders are diverse (for more details see Chapters 13-19) and only partially based on evidence. New opportunities for prevention and treatment are evolving rapidly. A more organized approach to the underlying causative mechanisms and consequences of dysmobility is needed to integrate what we are learning and apply it to clinical care.
