Article

Older adults exhibit modified gait patterns compared to the young, adopting
movement strategies in response to changes in musculoskeletal function.
Investigating the functional mobility of older women is particularly important
because of their increased life expectancy and greater falls risk compared to
men. We explored the relationships between gait parameters and age in healthy
older women whilst accounting for declining gait speeds. Kinematic and kinetic
data were collected from thirty-nine women (60-83 years) whilst walking at a
comfortable cadence. Regression analysis assessed the capacity of gait speed and
age to explain the variance in gait associated with older age. Speed explained
the majority of variance in many gait parameters. By including age in the
regression, the total explained variance (R2) for foot clearance (70%), ankle
plantarflexion angle (30%), peak ankle plantarflexor moment (58%), and hip power
generation (56%) were significantly (p<0.05) greater than for speed alone.
Nonetheless, changes in speed and age did not fully explain the variance in gait
mechanics associated with older age and other contributing factors must exist.
Losses of 1.2%/year in gait speed were predicted by age, exceeding previous
predictions of -0.7%/year. Furthermore, the accumulation of apparently small
decreases of 0.2 cm/year in peak foot-to-ground clearance has clinical
implications and offers insight into the mechanisms by which gait becomes
hazardous in older age.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS