GAIT DISORDERS IN THE ELDERLY AND THE RISK OF FALLS

Abstract

Falls are the leading cause of injury in people over 65 in the United States. In 2018, 27.5% of seniors over age 65 reported at least one fall in the past year and 10.2% had injuries after a fall in the past year. One feature of walking that has been used to identify people who are at risk for falling is gait unsteadiness. An unsteady gait pattern will be characterized with greater kinematics variability. Decreasing variability of walking patterns may help to prevent falls by achieving a more stable gait pattern, thus improving the control of the whole-body position and by reducing the mediolateral momentum of the centre of mass. Walking more slowly, with a higher STF and shorter STL, may help to stabilize the gait pattern and allow greater adjustment and flexibility to changes in walking conditions (increasing or decreasing walking speed), especially in patients with history of falls. Compared with the elderly with no history of falls, elderly people who are at risk for falls will have the following characteristics of gait: decreased ankle plantar flexion and hip extension during push-off, increased hip flexion during the swing phase, reduced mediolateral sway and decreased reaction time. Key words: elderly falls, gait analysis.