Citation

van Kooten D, Hettinga F, Duffy K, Jackson J, Taylor MJD. Gait Posture 2017; 60: 65-70.

Affiliation

School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK. Electronic address: mtaylor@essex.ac.uk.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.11.010

PMID

29161624

Abstract

The variability of the centre of pressure (COP) during walking can provide information in relation to stability when walking. The aim of this study was to investigate if age and sex were associated with COP variability, COP excursions, and COP velocities during walking. One-hundred and fourteen older adults (age 65.1±5.5 yrs.) participated in the study. A Kistler force platform (1000Hz) recorded the ground reaction forces and COPs during walking at a self-selected walking speed. The stance phase was divided, using the vertical GRF, into four sub-phases: loading response (LR), mid-stance (MSt), terminal stance (TSt), and pre-swing (PSw). The standard deviations of the COP displacement (variability), the COP velocity, and COP excursion in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions, as well as the resultant magnitude were assessed. When controlling for walking speed, a greater age was associated with a higher variability and excursion of the COP during LR only suggesting that stability is maintained during the majority of the stance phase. During LR lower COP velocity was significantly associated for females for anterior-posterior and total COP, which may be a strategy to facilitate stability before, and moving into, MSt and TSt.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Balance; Elderly; Falls; Gait; Stability