Abstract
Objective: Walking is one of the conditions that can easily cause falls in the elderly. Balance ability and plantar touch input are important factors to maintain postural stability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of balance ability and plantar touch on gait parameters of the elderly when walking in a straight line. Methods: 17 healthy elderly people (69 ± 3 years old) were recruited and asked to complete three straight walking tasks at their own comfortable walking speed, with a duration of 30s and an interval of 30s. Gait parameters (stride speed, stride frequency, stride length) were collected by 3D motion capture system. Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used to assess balance ability. The plantar skin touch of the hallux, 1st and 5th metatarsal bones, heel, and arch were measured by monofilament method. Spearman correlation was used to verify the correlation between gait and plantar touch or balance ability. The thresholds for the correlation coefficient (rs) were as follows: weak: 0.0-0.4; medium: 0.4-0.6; strong: 0.6-0.8. Results: The plantar touch on the arch showed a moderate positive correlation with stride frequency (rs = 0.513, p = 0.049). Similarly, the plantar touch on the big toe exhibited a moderate positive correlation with stride speed (rs = 0.546, p = 0.35). However, no significant correlation was found between BBS scores and gait parameters (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings suggested that the plantar touch on the arch may play a role in adjusting the ankle joint angle and position during walking, thereby improving stride frequency. Moreover, the plantar touch on the big toe may provide sensory information about ground conditions, facilitating push-off and extension during gait. The lack of correlation between balance ability (as assessed by the BBS) and gait parameters contradicts previous studies, indicating that this inconsistency may be attributed to the physical fitness of the healthy elderly participants.
Published Version
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