**1. Introduction**

The ability to walk safely and postural control stabilization are vital for elderly people to decrease their risk of falling and to maintain their independence. A function of walking that accompanies aging is a higher energy cost of movement, often referred to as a lower economy

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© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

of walking [1, 2]. In addition, a defect or slowing of this mechanism has been suggested to explain the difficulties experienced by older persons when trying to control their posture [3, 4]. Moreover, both muscle strength and lower postural stability decline with aging [5, 6]. Therefore, aging is characterized by changes in the neuromuscular system that decreases muscle strength, balance, and proprioception.

Meanwhile, this progressive decline in physical capacities reduces the ability of elderly peo‐ ple to perform complex motor tasks and is associated with impaired mobility and a reduction in the ability [7]. Assessment of motor function contributes to the identification of factors that generate impairments to the performance of daily activities and an increase in the risk of falls for elderly people. Moreover, assessment of motor function by physical therapist provides important information about age‐related progressive reduction in muscle strength, ability to walk, and postural control.

This chapter provides an overview of the assessment method on motor function in elderly people.
