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Reliability of foot trajectory measures within and between testing sessions
G M Karst1, P A Hageman, T F Jones
1Division of Physical Therapy Education, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198-4420, USA. gmkarst@unmc.edu
Summary
Foot trajectory measures show good to excellent reliability in elderly women, supporting their use in assessing gait changes. Further studies will link these measures to fall risk.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Gerontology
- Gait Analysis
Background:
- Impaired foot trajectory during gait swing phase may increase fall risk.
- Reliability of foot trajectory measures must be established before predicting fall incidence.
- This study assesses reliability of foot trajectory and temporal-distance measures in elderly women.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the within- and between-session reliability of foot trajectory measures.
- To compare the reliability of foot trajectory measures with traditional temporal-distance gait parameters.
- To assess these measures in healthy elderly women during natural and fast gait.
Main Methods:
- Sixteen healthy elderly women (65-79 years) participated.
- Gait analysis was performed over 4 days, including natural and fast cadences.
- Optoelectric motion analysis and heel switches captured foot trajectory and temporal-distance data.
Main Results:
- High within-session reliability (ICC > 0.9) was found for most measures.
- Between-session reliability was also good (ICC > 0.9) for most measures.
- Heel contact velocities showed strong correlation with averaged values.
Conclusions:
- Foot trajectory measures demonstrate good to excellent reliability for assessing gait motor control.
- These findings support the potential use of foot trajectory measures in clinical settings.
- Further research is needed to confirm the association between altered foot trajectory and fall incidence.