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Updated: Oct 26, 2026
Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults
Published on: May 12, 2016
Establishment of Standardized Normative Reference Values for Pressure-Based Gait Analysis in the Healthy Korean
Jinse Park1, Phil Hyu Lee2, Seong-Beom Koh3
1Department of Neurology, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University, Busan, Korea.
Objective:
Normative gait data for Asian populations remain scarce, and Western reference values may not apply to Koreans. We aimed to establish nationwide reference values for pressure-based gait analysis in healthy Korean adults.
Methods:
Healthy community-dwelling adults (N = 612, aged 20 to 80s) were enrolled at 11 randomly selected centers using quota-based recruitment across 18 sex- and age-stratified cohorts. Spatiotemporal gait parameters, classified into five domains, were recorded on a pressure-based electronic walkway. Gait speed cutoffs were defined at -1.0 and -1.5 standard deviations (SD) below age- and sex-specific means. Age-group differences were evaluated using ANOVA and linear mixed-effects models adjusted for height and study site.
Results:
Gait velocity followed a normal distribution in all strata. In both sexes, older age groups showed lower Pace domain values and higher step length variability, which remained significant after adjustment for height and study site. In contrast, Rhythm domain parameters and asymmetry indices were preserved across age groups. Cutoffs were provided at -1.5 SD for normally distributed parameters and the 7th percentile for non-normally distributed parameters.
Conclusions:
This is the first nationwide multicenter reference dataset for spatiotemporal gait parameters in healthy Korean adults across the full adult age range. These population-specific values provide a practical baseline for interpreting pressure-based gait analysis and for applying gait-based clinical criteria in Korea.
