Biomed Eng Lett.  2017 Nov;7(4):333-338. 10.1007/s13534-017-0045-0.

Variations in gait features in elderly adults during walking considering their balance

• Choi HJ
• Kim HS
• Ryu J
• Kim G
• Ko CY

• KMID: 2397935
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13534-017-0045-0

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of balance on the spatiotemporal features, lower-limb kinematics, and center of mass (COM) of the non-faller elderly during walking. In this study, 20 healthy elderly women (age, 76.2 ± 5.6 years; height, 150.1 ± 3.2 cm; weight, 55.8 ± 9.0 kg) were enrolled. Based on the Berg balance scale (BBS), the elderly were classified into two groups: poor balance (PB; BBS scores <46; n = 10; 43.8 ± 1.8) and good balance (GB; BBS scores C46; n = 10; 50.4 ± 2.5). The two groups had no differences in terms of the spatiotemporal features and range of motion (ROM) of the vertical COM (all p>0.05). The ROM of the mediolateral COM was greater in PB than in GB. Hip transversal movements in the two groups were different. The impairment of the lateral balance function might contribute to an increase in the incidence of fall events in the elderly with poor balance.

Keyword

Berg balance scale; Non-faller elderly; Center of mass; Spatiotemporal features; Joint motion

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Aged*
Biomechanical Phenomena
Female
Gait*
Hip
Humans
Incidence
Range of Motion, Articular
Walking*