A comparison of gait characteristics between Korean and Western people for establishing Korean gait reference data

Abstract

It is important to analyze the characteristics of normal gait in clinical and biomechanical aspects. Although gait characteristics can be varied by anthropometric, racial and cultural factors, gait studies have primarily been undertaken in Western countries. The present study conducted a gait analysis for Korean people and compared the gait characteristics with those of Western people. A total of 32 Koreans subjects (20 males and 12 females) participated in the gait experiment and their spatio-temporal and kinematic/kinetic characteristics were analyzed. The comparison of the gait characteristics between Korean and Western people revealed that the stride length and walking speed of Korean subjects were significantly lower than those observed in Western studies by 7–25% and 14–42%, respectively. The knee abduction moment of the Korean subjects was larger than those of Western people, while the other moments (hip moment in the sagittal and frontal plane, knee and ankle moment in the sagittal plane) were smaller than those of Western people. There were also differences in ranges of motion between gait studies; however, most motion patterns and excursions were similar. Relevance to industry Gait reference data are important to determine the nature and severity of gait disturbances in injured individuals and to evaluate the effect of clinical treatment. The unique gait characteristics of Koreans identified in the present study will provide valuable information on gait parameters for the Korean population.