Normal limits of home measured spatial gait parameters of the elderly population and their association with health variables

Abstract

Gait studies in the elderly population have been always conducted in gait labs or spacious clinical facilities, which influence gait parameters, and also implies that the participants have to be able to move to these facilities. Indoors gait characteristics of the elderly population have been very little studied. In this study, we aim to define the normal limits of the spatial gait parameters of the elderly, when walking at home, and to analyze relationship existing between the spatial gait parameters to other health variables. For such purpose, we conducted a transversal study on a probabilistic sample of 431 Spanish community-dwelling older, in which the spatial gait parameters were recorded by using an ink footprints method. We found that the mean stride length indoors was 88.47 cm (SD:26.05 cm; mean CI95%:85.52-91.41 cm), and the mean step width was 10.34 cm (SD:4.37 cm; mean CI95%:9.84-10.83 cm). Stride length was shorter in women and the oldest group, and was significantly influenced by the strength, balance, and physical activity. Stride width was larger in the oldest group and mainly affected by balance. A composite parameter including width and normalized stride length was independent from sex, and strongly differentiated between age groups. This parameter was affected by strength.