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Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds
Published on: August 25, 2020
Effect of walking speed on gait sub phase durations
Felix Hebenstreit1, Andreas Leibold2, Sebastian Krinner3
1Digital Sports Group, Pattern Recognition Lab, Department of Computer Science, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Haberstrasse 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Krankenhausstrasse 12, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; Institute of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Gebbertstrasse 123b, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
Investigating walking speed effects on gait phases reveals that as speed increases, stance duration shortens and swing duration lengthens. All stance sub-phases significantly change with speed, highlighting their importance in spatiotemporal gait analysis.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human locomotion analysis
- Gait dynamics
Background:
- Gait phase durations are crucial spatiotemporal parameters for assessing gait health and treatment outcomes.
- The impact of varying walking speeds on gait phases is under-investigated in current literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the influence of 12 different walking speeds (0.6-1.7 m/s) on gait phase durations in healthy individuals.
- To analyze the changes in stance sub-phases (loading response, mid stance, terminal stance, pre-swing) and swing phase duration with varying speeds.
Main Methods:
- Utilized infrared cinematography and an instrumented treadmill for precise motion capture.
- Recruited 21 healthy subjects to walk at 12 distinct speeds.
- Applied regression modeling to analyze the relationship between walking speed and gait phase durations.
Main Results:
- Increased walking speed by 0.1 m/s led to a decrease in stance duration and a 0.3% increase in swing duration.
- All individual stance sub-phases demonstrated significant alterations with changes in walking speed.
Conclusions:
- Walking speed significantly influences all distinct gait sub-phases.
- Incorporating analysis of all gait sub-phases is essential for comprehensive spatiotemporal gait analysis, particularly when speed varies.
