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Updated: May 30, 2026
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Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds
Published on: August 25, 2020
Normal walking speed: a descriptive meta-analysis
Richard W Bohannon1, A Williams Andrews
1Program in Physical Therapy, Department of Kinesiology, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268-2101, USA. richard.bohannon@uconn.edu
Physiotherapy
|August 9, 2011
Summary
This meta-analysis provides normal walking speed values for healthy adults, stratified by age and gender. These findings establish a benchmark for interpreting individual gait performance and identifying potential limitations.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
- Public Health
Background:
- Walking speed is crucial for community mobility and predicting health outcomes.
- Establishing normative gait speed values is essential for assessing individual walking limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis to determine normal gait speed in healthy individuals.
- To stratify normal gait speed by age and gender groups.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across multiple databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Science Citation Index) and hand searches.
- Inclusion criteria: studies documenting normal-paced gait speed over 3-30m in healthy adults, with data from at least 10 participants per gender/decade stratum.
- Meta-analysis used to consolidate data, stratify by gender and decade, and assess homogeneity.
Main Results:
- Analysis of 41 articles, encompassing data from 23,111 subjects.
- Homogeneous gait speed found within strata.
- Mean gait speed ranged from 143.4 cm/s (men, 40-49 years) to 94.3 cm/s (women, 80-99 years).
Conclusions:
- The meta-analysis provides normative gait speed data for healthy adults.
- This data can serve as a standard for comparing individual performance and aiding interpretation.
- Caution advised when applying standards to gait measured over short distances or involving turns.
