Abstract
BackgroundVariability in stride velocity during walking characterizes gait instability and predicts falling in older individuals. Walking while executing a cognitive task is also associated with increased risk of falling, particularly in older adults. Variability in stride velocity, particularly during dual task walking conditions, may differ between younger and older individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether gait velocity and variability in stride velocity differ between older community-dwelling women and younger women during dual task walking.MethodsTwenty-three older (80 ± 9 years) and 19 younger (23 ± 2 years) women walked under each of two conditions: (1) walking at a self-selected velocity and (2) walking at a self-selected velocity while incrementally counting backwards. Gait velocity and variability in stride velocity were measured with GAITRite® instrumentation.ResultsGait velocity decreased and variability in stride variability increased, in both groups, during dual task walking. The relative reduction in gait velocity and the magnitude of variability in stride velocity were greater in the older subjects than younger subjects.ConclusionThe gait changes observed in dual task walking characterize reduced gait stability and indicate that cognitively demanding tasks during walking have a destabilizing effect on gait that may place older persons at greater risk of falls.
Highlights
Variability in stride velocity during walking characterizes gait instability and predicts falling in older individuals
Rather than measuring center of mass (COM) and base of support (BOS) relationships during walking, investigators have recognized that stride-to-stride variability in gait predicts falls in older persons and distinguishes those who are at increased falls risk [2,3]
Participants In a pilot study [15] conducted preliminary to the present study, variability in stride velocity in older subjects increased from a coefficient of variation (CV) of 4.9% CV in a normal walking condition to 16.4% CV in a dual task walking condition
Summary
Variability in stride velocity during walking characterizes gait instability and predicts falling in older individuals. Variability in stride velocity, during dual task walking conditions, may differ between younger and older individuals. Rather than measuring COM and BOS relationships during walking, investigators have recognized that stride-to-stride variability in gait predicts falls in older persons and distinguishes those who are at increased falls risk [2,3]. In individuals with neurologic pathology, deficits in the central nervous system's ability to coordinate motor outputs are largely responsible for gait instability [5]. It is not entirely clear why gait (page number not for citation purposes)
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