Aging may negatively impact movement smoothness during stair negotiation

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Gerontology
• Gait Analysis

Background:

• Stairs pose mobility challenges for older adults, often resulting in cautious, less fluid gait.
• Quantifying stair negotiation smoothness is crucial for understanding age-related locomotion changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare age-related differences in head and body center of mass (COM) acceleration and smoothness during stair negotiation.
• To determine the association between stair negotiation smoothness and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test.

Main Methods:

• Nineteen older and twenty young adults performed stair ascent, descent, and overground walking.
• Head and body COM motion data were analyzed using log-normalized dimensionless jerk (LDJ) and velocity spectral arc length (SPARC) metrics.
• Pearson's correlation assessed the relationship between TUG performance and smoothness measures.

Main Results:

• Stair negotiation increased COM acceleration differences between age groups compared to walking.
• Older adults showed decreased LDJ smoothness during stair descent, correlating with higher TUG scores.
• SPARC smoothness increased in older adults, with mixed correlations to TUG performance.

Conclusions:

• LDJ is superior to SPARC in identifying age-related stair negotiation adaptations.
• Reduced LDJ smoothness during stair negotiation is linked to poorer functional mobility in older adults.