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Updated: Oct 26, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Age-Related Differences in Gait Parameters and Their Association With Fall Risk in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional
Ho Han1, Heontae Kim1, Hyunjoo Kang2
1School of Community Health Sciences, Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.
Abstract:
BackgroundFalls are a major cause of morbidity and functional decline among older adults, yet early gait-based markers of fall risk remain unclear.ObjectiveTo examine age-related differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters and their associations with fall risk among older adults.MethodsTwo hundred participants aged 65 years or older were classified into four age groups and two fall-risk levels using a standardized Fall Risk Assessment. Gait parameters were measured with the IB-GAIT system.ResultsWith increasing age, stride length and walking speed decreased, while stance and double support phases increased (ptrend < 0.001). High-risk individuals showed shorter stride lengths, slower walking speeds, and longer stance phases than low-risk counterparts (p < 0.05). Height-adjusted stride length correlated with Fall Risk Assessment components (r = 0.36, p < 0.001), and those in the shortest quartile had over eightfold higher odds of high fall risk.ConclusionHeight-adjusted stride length indicates fall risk.
