Effect of aging on seated stepping variability

[Purpose] Accuracy in coordinating limb movements decreases with aging. The effect of aging on the variability of cyclic movements is not well known. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of aging on seated stepping variability. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-six healthy young adults and 15 healthy elderly adults were instructed to walk at their preferred speed. Foot contact was monitored using reflective markers. Seated stepping was performed on force plates. The participants synchronized their stepping with 6 different metronome beats: 90-140 beats per minute (bpm). The time-series coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated. [Results] The cadence of young adults was 121 steps/min and that of the elderly adults was 125 steps/min in the elderly adults. The seated stepping CV decreased gradually from 90 to 120 bpm, but sharply increased at 130 and 140 bpm. Compared to young adults, the elderly adults had significantly higher CVs of seated stepping; however, the intergroup difference in the CV of seated stepping at 120 bpm was negligible. [Conclusions] Our results suggest that the stepping accuracy of the elderly is decreased; however, the rhythmic seated stepping accuracy does not decrease at the same rate as gait.