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Updated: May 23, 2026
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Influence of Step-Width Manipulation on Running Biomechanics
Published on: February 28, 2025
Voluntary changes in step width and step length during human walking affect dynamic margins of stability
Patricia M McAndrew Young1, Jonathan B Dingwell
1Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. pyoung@som.umaryland.edu
Gait & Posture
|April 5, 2012
Summary
Altering step width and length significantly impacts gait stability. Wider steps enhance lateral stability, while shorter steps do not improve it, suggesting implications for gait training programs.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
- Gait Analysis
Background:
- Cautious gait is often associated with wider and shorter steps.
- The precise relationship between step characteristics and gait stability remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of voluntarily modifying step width (SW) and step length (SL) on individuals' margins of stability (MOS).
Main Methods:
- Fourteen participants walked on a treadmill under various manipulated SL (short, normal, long) and SW (narrow, normal, wide) conditions.
- Analysis focused on anterior-posterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) margins of stability and their variability.
Main Results:
- Step length manipulations significantly altered mean AP MOS but not ML MOS.
- Wider steps increased ML MOS while decreasing AP MOS.
- Both wider and longer steps increased the variability of AP and ML MOS.
Conclusions:
- Voluntarily adopting wider steps may improve immediate lateral stability.
- Shorter steps did not demonstrate an effect on lateral stability during unperturbed walking.
- Changes in stability margins should be considered in gait training interventions aimed at improving stability.
