Effects of Aging on Arm Swing during Gait: The Role of Gait Speed and Dual Tasking

Abstract

Healthy walking is characterized by pronounced arm swing and axial rotation. Aging effects on gait speed, stride length and stride time variability have been previously reported, however, less is known about aging effects on arm swing and axial rotation and their relationship to age-associated gait changes during usual walking and during more challenging conditions like dual tasking. Sixty healthy adults between the ages of 30–77 were included in this study designed to address this gap. Lightweight body fixed sensors were placed on each wrist and lower back. Participants walked under 3 walking conditions each of 1 minute: 1) comfortable speed, 2) walking while serially subtracting 3’s (Dual Task), 3) walking at fast speed. Aging effects on arm swing amplitude, range, symmetry, jerk and axial rotation amplitude and jerk were compared between decades of age (30–40; 41–50; 51–60; 61–77 years). As expected, older adults walked slower (p = 0.03) and with increased stride variability (p = 0.02). Arm swing amplitude decreased with age under all conditions (p = 0.04). In the oldest group, arm swing decreased during dual task and increased during the fast walking condition (p<0.0001). Similarly, arm swing asymmetry increased during the dual task in the older groups (p<0.004), but not in the younger groups (p = 0.67). Significant differences between groups and within conditions were observed in arm swing jerk (p<0.02), axial rotation amplitude (p<0.02) and axial jerk (p<0.001). Gait speed, arm swing amplitude of the dominant arm, arm swing asymmetry and axial rotation jerk were all independent predictors of age in a multivariate model. These findings suggest that the effects of gait speed and dual tasking on arm swing and axial rotation during walking are altered among healthy older adults. Follow-up work is needed to examine if these effects contribute to reduced stability in aging.

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“…Longitudinal studies will be required to determine whether changes over time in these (and other gait parameters) have predictive diagnostic value regarding the progression of MS. Subtle impairments in gait performances have been demonstrated as prodromal signs for worsening due to PD 36,47 . Further, gait coordination and gait asymmetry can be defined as targets for interventions aiming to improve gait greater asymmetry (GA: 22.6 ± 3.5) than the mild (GA: 3.9 ± 1.1) or moderate (GA: 7.1 ± 1.7) disability groups, and more impaired PCI (10.2 ± 1.5) than the mild disability group (3.6 ± 0.5).…”

Having fewer than 21 teeth associated with poorer general health among South Australians

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Arm swing as a potential new prodromal marker of Parkinson's disease

“…Turns were identified from the gyroscope signal and were removed. Only straight‐line walking, defined as sagittal progression walking, was analyzed …”

“…Only straight-line walking, defined as sagittal progression walking, was analyzed. 13 Mean gait speed was determined by the average time taken to walk 10 m. Stride time was determined by automatic identification of the time between 2 consecutive strikes of the same foot, detected from the trunk acceleration. 12,14,15 Stride time variability was calculated as the magnitude of stride-to-stride fluctuations, normalized to each participant's mean stride time, coefficient of variation 5 (standard deviation/mean) 3 100.…”