-Heel rocking phase in gait cycle is from initial contact to forefoot contact. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age on heel rocking time. Seven young women (21.9±1.5 yrs) and seven elderly women (74.1±6.7 yrs) participated in this study. Subjects wore the shoes equipped with pressure sensors and walked along 10 m walkway at comfortable speeds. Stride time, stance time, and heel rocking time were compared between groups. Stride time was not different between groups (p=0.087). Stance time was longer (p<0.001) but heel rocking time was shorter in the elderly than in the young (p<0.001). The shorter heel-rocking time in elderly women indicates less efficient shock-absorption in the heel-rocking phase, which might be related to the abnormal control and/or reduced performance of ankle dorsiflexors.
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