Comparison of Young and Elderly Adults in a Standing-walking Task

Abstract

[Purpose] Young and elderly adults performed walking and standing-walking (ST) tasks, and the number of steps taken before achieving normal gait and the characteristics of transitional gait were investigated.[Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 19 elderly females and 10 healthy young females.Step length and gait speed were measured at the maximum gait in both tasks, and in the ST task, the anterior transfer speed of the center of gravity (COG) and motor function were also compared. [Results] In the walking task there were no differences, but in the ST task the elderly subjects took one more step to establish normal gait. The anterior transfer speed of COG and motor function of the elderly subjects in the ST task were significantly lower than those of the young subjects.[Conclusion] A difference was found in the number of steps needed to achieve normal gait in the ST task. We consider decrease in the anterior transfer speed of COG was an influencing factor, and that a possible cause is decrease of motor function due to aging.

Influence of wearing complete dentures on control of head position during walking in edentulous older adults

“…In the current study, three walking periods were set for each number of steps based on a previous study that showed that older adults walking generally became steady after the fourth step from the start of walking. 17 In the early period from the start of walking to the fourth step, walking was still unstable, which is consistent with the period when older adults are more likely to fall. On the other hand, it has been reported that walking becomes steady and stable in the mid-period, but the variance values and PtP were significantly different between +CD and −CD in all periods.…”

“…These combined with the results of this study suggest that wearing complete dentures during walking may contribute to the stability of both the trunk and head, but the effect on the head may be more significant. In the current study, three walking periods were set for each number of steps based on a previous study that showed that older adults walking generally became steady after the fourth step from the start of walking 17 . In the early period from the start of walking to the fourth step, walking was still unstable, which is consistent with the period when older adults are more likely to fall.…”

“…It has been shown that the mid-period time point is when walking is generally steady. 17 The variance and PtP values were evaluated at the beginning of walking, the mid-period and the end of walking, to examine how the presence or absence of dentures affects brow and chin sway in a series of periods during walking and to determine the period in which brow and chin sway mainly occur. On the other hand, for HR, RMS, IVD and DTW, only the mid-period data were included in order to examine the effect of denture wear on the stability of the brow and chin and the differences in brow and chin sway during walking.…”

“…In addition, the harmonic ratio (HR) of acceleration and angle rate at the brow and chin, root mean square (RMS) at the brow and chin, integrated value of the difference (IVD) between the acceleration of the brow and that of the chin and IVD between the angle rate of the brow and that of the chin, and dynamic time warping (DTW) were used as outcomes of the mid‐period. It has been shown that the mid‐period time point is when walking is generally steady 17 . The variance and PtP values were evaluated at the beginning of walking, the mid‐period and the end of walking, to examine how the presence or absence of dentures affects brow and chin sway in a series of periods during walking and to determine the period in which brow and chin sway mainly occur.…”