Older women take shorter steps during backwards walking and obstacle crossing.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Community ambulation requires the ability to adapt walking patterns to task demands. For example, complex walking tasks, such as obstacle crossing (OBS) and backwards walking (BW), require modification of gait kinematics to complete the task, maintain stability and prevent falling. More women than men fall each year, but few studies have investigated gender differences in performance of adaptive walking tasks.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine gender differences in two common adaptive tasks.

Methods

Walking performance was assessed from 54 age and gender matched participants (72 ± 5 yrs.) while they completed forward walking (FW), OBS and BW. Gait outcomes and the distance of the lead foot and the trail foot from the obstacle were normali

SUBMITTER: Raffegeau TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6771276 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature