Gait Speed and Dynamic Stability Decline Accelerates Only in Late Life: A Cross-sectional Study in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Background and Purpose: Incidence of falls increases with age whereas gait speed declines. The purposes of this study were to examine (1) whether gait speed and center-of-mass (COM) velocity declined steadily across ages in a linear fashion among community-dwelling older adults, and (2) whether such decline corresponded to the similar decline in dynamic stability, which is governed by the control of their COM position and COM velocity relative to base of support (BOS). Methods: A total of 184 community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years) participated in the cross-sectional study. The participants were categorized into 5 age groups (65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and 85+ years) and were asked to walk on the 7-m walkway at their preferred walking speed. Their speed, gait pattern, relative COM position, and relative COM velocity were measured. Results: Very close relationship was confirmed between a clinical gait speed measurement and the COM velocity (R2 = 0.875, P .05), but it accelerated after 85 years of age. This decline was most likely influenced by a reduction in both step length (P
Source: Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy - Category: Physiotherapy Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research