Article

The stride length - cadence relationship (SLCrel) was investigated to explore a
theory of two alternate but inter-related pathways for gait control. Sixty-three
healthy people in three age groups walked along a computerized walkway
(GAITRite((R))) at five self-selected speeds from very slow to very fast, five
cadences from 70 to 150 steps/min and five stride lengths from 0.8 to 1.6m. The data points from two walks in each level of each condition were examined for
linear and quadratic relationships. In the self-selected speed condition 97% of
participants had a positive linear or quadratic relationship of R(2)>/=0.90. The quadratic relationships showed stride length decreased with very high cadences.
When walks with cadences above 150 steps/min were removed, 95% of participants
had a positive linear relationship of R(2)>/=0.90. No age-related differences
were found in slope or intercept of linear relationships or in maximum, minimum
or range of stride length or cadence in the self-selected speed condition. In the
cadence and stride length conditions, only 32% and 14% of positive linear or
quadratic relationships were R(2)>/=0.90. The near-invariant SLCrel, unaffected
by ageing that exists for nearly all individuals when walking at self-selected
speeds, indicates that the SLCrel may be used to simplify central control of
automatic gait in healthy individuals. The current investigation also provides
SLCrel data for healthy people which can be compared with patient populations.
CI - Crown Copyright (c) 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS