Different Types of Training on Spatiotemporal Parameters of Gait in Older Adults: A Scoping Review

To map and characterize the available evidence on different types of training and their reported effects on spatiotemporal gait parameters in older adults.

A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The search was performed in the second half of 2025 across the PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Randomized controlled trials involving healthy older adults (≥60 years) that investigated exercise and gait interventions assessed using biomechanical methods were included. The outcomes considered were all gait kinematic variables for which evidence was reported.

Eight studies were included, totaling 330 older adults who underwent exercise interventions. The mean PEDro scale score was 5 points. The most frequently identified training types were resistance training and dual-task training, both were associated with improvements in gait kinematic variables, such as velocity, step length, and cadence. Training programs for older adults typically involved sessions 2 to 3 times per week on alternate days, over a period of 8 to 12 weeks.

Resistance training and dual-task training demonstrated the potential to improve locomotor performance in older adults. These findings may guide specific approaches to improving gait parameters in this population. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the relatively small number of included studies, heterogeneity in the variables analyzed, and the low-to-moderate methodological quality of the studies, all of which may hinder direct comparisons between results.