[Neurological gait changes in old age: basic principles, senile gait]

Gait abnormalities and falls often occur in the elderly, and it is often difficult for the practitioner to distinguish between a specific disease causing disordered gait and gradual changes due to "normal" involution. Based on the biomechanics and the neural control mechanisms of normal adult gait, characteristics of the "senile gait" are described. The senile gait abnormality is regarded as a clinical entity ascribed to age alone and its many cerebellar, extrapyramidal and cerebrofrontal changes, all of which may give rise to disordered central programming of upright stance and gait. The need for a careful evaluation of the elderly patient's station and gait is stressed.