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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults
Published on: May 12, 2016
Gender differences in the control of the upper body accelerations during level walking
Claudia Mazzà1, Marco Iosa, Pietro Picerno
1Laboratory of Locomotor Apparatus Bioengineering, Department of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, Università degli Studi di Roma "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro De Bosis 15, 00194 Rome, Italy. claudia.mazza@iusm.it
Females exhibit superior upper body control during walking compared to males, demonstrating more effective attenuation of accelerations from the shoulder to the head. These gender differences in walking mechanics warrant consideration in clinical assessments.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
- Gait Analysis
Background:
- Gender differences in walking mechanics are understudied despite anecdotal observations of female poise.
- Upper body oscillations during walking are person-specific and typically attenuate from pelvis to head.
- Previous research has focused on head acceleration control but rarely on gender disparities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify gender-specific differences in upper body accelerations during level walking.
- To compare the attenuation strategies of anteroposterior and mediolateral accelerations between males and females.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wearable inertial sensors to measure upper body accelerations at pelvis, shoulder, and head levels in healthy young adults.
- Recorded kinematic data during level walking along a linear pathway.
- Compared acceleration attenuation between male and female participants.
Main Results:
- Both genders attenuated anteroposterior accelerations, with females showing more effective shoulder-to-head attenuation.
- Males demonstrated less effective mediolateral acceleration attenuation from pelvis to shoulder compared to females.
- Females achieved similar head accelerations to males despite higher initial pelvis accelerations, suggesting a superior control strategy.
Conclusions:
- Significant gender differences exist in upper body motion control during walking, particularly in the mediolateral direction.
- Females may employ more effective strategies for attenuating upper body accelerations.
- These findings highlight the importance of considering gender in clinical gait and kinematic assessments.
