Gait changes with aging: an early warning sign for underlying pathology.

ABSTRACT: Walking may appear to be a simple motor task, but is in fact a very complex behavior that involves virtually all levels of the nervous system. In daily clinical practice, subtle gait changes are commonly observed as we grow older, and these are often attributed to aging itself (the term "senile gait" was coined for this). However, growing evidence suggests that such age-related gait changes should not be regarded as a mere consequence of aging, but rather as indicators of underlying age-related disease. Numerous studies have shown that gait changes can be present for years during an otherwise prodromal phase of many progressive neurological disorders. As such, gait changes serve as clinical biomarkers of disease-related dysfunction in the neurological structures involved in gait control. W

SUBMITTER: Nonnekes J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11889070 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature