Does arm swing emphasized deliberately increase the trunk stability during walking in the elderly adults?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomechanics
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Trunk stability is crucial for maintaining balance and mobility in elderly individuals.
• Arm swing plays a role in gait dynamics and overall stability.
• Understanding how to modify gait parameters to enhance stability is important for fall prevention in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of altered arm swing on trunk stability during walking in the elderly.
• To quantify changes in trunk acceleration patterns under different arm swing conditions.

Main Methods:

• 21 community-dwelling elderly individuals (mean age 81.8 years) participated.
• Trunk acceleration was measured using a tri-axial accelerometer during normal, no-arm-swing, and over-arm-swing walking.
• Trunk stability was assessed using harmonic ratios (HR) for anteroposterior (AP), vertical (VT), and mediolateral (ML) directions.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in HR-AP and HR-VT were observed across the three conditions.
• HR-ML was significantly higher in the over-arm-swing condition compared to normal and no-swing conditions (p<0.05).
• Generalized estimating equations adjusted for walking speed confirmed these findings.

Conclusions:

• Deliberately emphasizing arm swing during walking can enhance mediolateral (ML) trunk stability in elderly individuals.
• Altering arm swing is a potential non-pharmacological intervention to improve gait stability and reduce fall risk in older populations.