Non-Linear Gait Dynamics Are Affected by Commonly Occurring Outdoor Surfaces and Sex in Healthy Adults

(1) Background: Human walking involves adapting to diverse terrains, influencing gait biomechanics. This study examined how seven outdoor surfaces-flat-even, banked-right/-left, cobblestone, grass, sloped-down, and sloped-up-affect nonlinear gait dynamics in 30 healthy adults (14 females and 15 males). (2) Methods: Trunk and shank accelerations were analyzed for movement predictability (sample entropy, SE), smoothness (log dimensionless jerk, LDLJ), symmetry (step/stride regularity), and stability (short-/long-term Lyapunov exponents, LyE_s, LyE_l). (3) Results: Surface type significantly influenced all gait metrics, regardless of sex. Banked-right and sloped-down walking reduced SE, indicating less predictable movements. All surfaces except flat-even increased LDLJ, suggesting reduced smoothness. Cobblestone and sloped-down surfaces impaired step symmetry, while banked surfaces enhanced stride symmetry. LyE_s decreased on cobblestones (lower variability), while sloped-up increased it. LyE_l rose on all surfaces except cobblestones, indicating a more chaotic gait. No significant sex differences were found, though males showed a non-significant trend toward lower LyE_s. Notably, sex-surface interactions emerged for SE and stride symmetry on banked-right surfaces, with females showing decreased SE and increased symmetry. (4) Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of terrain and sex in gait dynamics research.