Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
08:56
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Gait variability and local dynamic stability are exacerbated by age and visual cues
Jonaz Moreno Jaramillo1, Paul McDonnell1, Adam Grimmitt1
1Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States of America.
Peerj
|May 11, 2026
Summary
Older adults exhibit increased gait variability and decreased dynamic gait stability, especially with visual cues. These age-related changes in walking may require greater cognitive resources.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Aging is associated with increased gait variability and reduced dynamic gait stability, potentially increasing fall risk.
- Visual cue processing can further impair gait in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare gait variability and dynamic gait stability in young and older adults.
- To examine the effects of visual cues on gait during overground and treadmill walking.
Main Methods:
- Participants walked overground and on a treadmill with and without visual cues.
- Gait variability was measured using stride time and length coefficients of variation.
- Dynamic gait stability was assessed using the short-term Lyapunov exponent.
Main Results:
- Both age groups showed highest stride time variability with visual cues.
- Older adults had higher gait variability and lower dynamic gait stability on the treadmill, with or without visual cues.
- These differences were not observed during overground gait.
Conclusions:
- Age-related increases in gait variability and decreases in dynamic gait stability are exacerbated by visual cues.
- These gait changes in older adults may be linked to increased cognitive load.
