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Updated: Sep 23, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Early Gait Responsiveness as a Predictor of Functional Trajectory in Older Adults Undergoing Postacute Rehabilitation
1Department of Rehabilitation Services, Vintage Faire Nursing and Rehabilitation, Modesto, CA.
Objective:
To examine early gait responsiveness as a predictor of rehabilitation outcomes in older adults undergoing postacute rehabilitation.
Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting:
Three skilled nursing facilities in Northern California.
Participants:
One hundred sixty-two adults aged ≥65 years admitted for postacute rehabilitation (2022-2023); 58% female; primary diagnoses: 38% orthopedic, 33% medical, and 28% neurologic.
Interventions:
Not applicable (observational study).
Main Outcome Measures:
Discharge functional status (Functional Independence Measure motor subscale), length of stay, and discharge disposition.
Results:
Early gait responsiveness was operationalized as the rate of change in gait distance across the first 5 physical therapy sessions. Mean early gait responsiveness was 2.1±1.6 m/session (range -0.6 to 7.4 m/session). Greater early gait responsiveness was independently associated with higher discharge functional status (β=2.6 per m/session; 95% confidence interval, [CI] 1.6-3.6), shorter length of stay (β=-2.0 d per m/session; 95% CI, -2.9 to -1.0), and increased odds of discharge home independently versus institutional placement (odds ratio=2.3; 95% CI 1.4-3.6). The addition of gait responsiveness improved model explanatory power beyond baseline function alone (R² 0.28-0.40).
Conclusions:
Early gait responsiveness is a clinically interpretable indicator of rehabilitation trajectory and may support earlier identification of patients at risk for suboptimal outcomes.
