Stepping over obstacles: gait patterns of healthy young and old adults
Article Abstract:
The way older and younger people walk and move over obstacles may have a bearing on why older people are more likely to fall, and how to prevent the problem. Gait patterns of healthy young men and women and healthy old men and women were studied as they approached and stepped over obstacles of various heights. A total of 48 volunteers were monitored electronically as they walked along a path with obstacles ranging in height from that of standard door thresholds up to the average curbstone. Each of the volunteers walked the course 42 times. The distance from the foot the person was standing on to the obstacle and the clearance of the foot was the same for all groups. Old adults were more conservative when crossing obstacles than young adults, approaching more slowly and taking more care to have the toes clear the obstacle. Although this increases the risk that the heel will catch on the object, the result would be a less serious stumble instead of a trip. Foot clearance is the most important measure of whether tripping will occur, and all subjects avoided tripping on or kicking the obstacle. Attention and cognition were not measured in this study, and the artificial setting may not reflect what happens when people walk in everyday settings. The results of the study indicate that old adults are more careful when stepping over obstacles than young adults, and are more likely to step on the obstacle, as four of the 24 old adults did. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Tests of stepping as indicators of mobility, balance, and fall risk in balance-impaired older adults
Article Abstract:
The relationships between two tests of stepping ability such as the maximal step length (MSL) and rapid step test (RST) and standard tests of standing balance, gait, mobility and functional impairment in a group of at-risk older adults are determined. The conclusion states that MSL is as good a predictor of mobility performance, frequent falls, self-reported function and balance confidence as standard stance tests such as unipedal stance (US).
Publication Name: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0002-8614
Year: 2004
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