Clinical case · Sarcopenia
My legs have gone weak
A 76-year-old woman finds it harder to get out of chairs and has fallen once. Use the Find–Assess–Confirm–Severity pathway to diagnose sarcopenia and grade it, then build a treatment plan around exercise and protein.
Intermediate 12 minNeeds clinical review
You will learn to
- Apply the EWGSOP2 Find–Assess–Confirm–Severity pathway and its cut-off points
- Tell probable, confirmed and severe sarcopenia apart
- Plan first-line treatment: progressive resistance training with protein, and know what is not recommended
Presentation
Step 1 of 10A 76-year-old woman is referred by her GP. "My legs have gone weak," she says. Over the past year she has found it harder to get up from low chairs and the toilet, and she walks more slowly than her husband.
Six months ago her legs gave way as she stood up from a low sofa, and she sat down hard on the floor. She was not hurt.
References
- Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing. 2019;48(1):16–31. doi:10.1093/ageing/afy169 · PubMed 30312372
- Dent E, Morley JE, Cruz-Jentoft AJ, et al. International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sarcopenia (ICFSR): Screening, Diagnosis and Management. J Nutr Health Aging. 2018;22(10):1148–1161. doi:10.1007/s12603-018-1139-9 · PubMed 30498820
- Kirk B, Cawthon PM, Arai H, et al. The Conceptual Definition of Sarcopenia: Delphi Consensus from the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS). Age Ageing. 2024;53(3):afae052. doi:10.1093/ageing/afae052 · PubMed 38520141
Last updated 2026-10-22.
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