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Reducing gait speed affects axial coordination of walking turns
Caroline Forsell1, David Conradsson2, Caroline Paquette3
1Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Physiotherapy, Stockholm, Sweden.
Gait & Posture
|March 9, 2017
Summary
Healthy older adults exhibit reduced axial coordination during turns when walking at slower speeds. This
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Gerontology
- Neurology
Background:
- Turning is essential for daily activities and requires coordinated movement of body segments.
- Slow walking speed is common in older adults and those with neurological conditions, but its impact on turning coordination is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how walking speed affects axial coordination during turning in healthy older adults.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen healthy older adults performed 180° turns at comfortable and slow walking paces.
- Analysis included turning velocity, gait parameters, and axial segment (head and pelvis) rotation and velocity.
- Head-pelvis separation and angular velocity were key metrics, analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.
Main Results:
- Slower walking reduced turning velocity by 15%, with shorter step length and longer step time.
- Reduced speed decreased axial rotation amplitude and velocity for head and pelvis.
- Head-pelvis separation and angular velocity were also diminished at slower speeds, indicating 'en bloc' movement.
Conclusions:
- Axial coordination during turning in healthy older adults is speed-dependent.
- Slower walking leads to a more unified 'en bloc' movement pattern with less head-pelvis dissociation.
- Future research comparing groups with different walking speeds must account for speed variations to isolate disease-specific effects.
