Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in walking pattern of the elderly during inclined walkway with uneven surfaces and level walking. 10 young(26.3±1.3 years, 174.3±5.3 cm, 69.5±9.5 kg) and 13 elderly(72.4±5.2 years, 164.5±5.4 cm, 66.1±9.6 kg) male subjects were participated in the experiment. Experiment consisted of 2 walking conditions: horizontal and inclined walkway with uneven surfaces. 3D motion capturing system were used to acquire and analyze walking motion data with sampling frequency of 120 Hz. To compare differences between conditions, kinematic variables(walking speed, stance-swing ratio, hip joint angle, knee joint angle, ankle joint angle, pelvic rotation angle) were used. Results showed that there were some changes of elderly walking pattern in inclined walkway with uneven surfaces: hip joint(adduction and rotation) and pelvic movement pattern. These changes by inclination and surface may affect gait pattern of young subjects as well as elderly subjects. However, in case of elderly it revealed more unstable gait than the young. Further study is necessary to clarify changes in walking pattern for elderly by considering various gait variables including head movement and various walkway conditions.
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