[Gait analysis with simple and dual-task paradigm in community-dwelling old people attending a geriatric outpatient clinic]

Gait and balance often change with age. Few studies are available on gait analysis in the elderly. In our work, we have focused on slow walking and variation in pace. Since first introduced by Lundlin, the dual-task paradigm has been largely used to test for the risk of falls and to better understand the link between mild cognitive decline and variation in gait. To our knowledge, very few clinical data are available on the gait changes observed in the elderly in the dual-task situation. In this study, we compared changes in gait and balance between the simple task and the dual-task situation in a 10-m walk test conducted in community-dwelling old people.

Eighty-nine subjects attending a geriatric outpatient clinic (age 80.76+/-2.82 years) were included in our protocol. Gait, balance and posture were systematically evaluated during a simple and dual-task 10-m walk using a specific 11-item clinical scale. Gait speed was noted.

Few differences were found in the dual-task walk, only reduced speed, more stops during the walk and less compliance with instructions. These results were correlated with the Mini Mental Status (MMS) score. Systematic clinical analysis failed to identify any links with age, the MMS, the UPDRS, the Tinetti scale or gait speed except for the variables freezing, increased sustention polygon and ataxia.

This kind of study appears to offer an attractive analytical approach but would require a more pertinent choice of variables for cognitive evaluation and a more exhaustive set of MRI criteria. Nonetheless, clinical gait analysis could improve our understanding of the consequences of mild cognitive impairment and aging.