Gait & Posture · Dec 10, 2024

Relationships between spatiotemporal and kinematic domains during treadmill gait change across adulthood

By Carswell H, Schinkel-Ivy A

BACKGROUND: Spatiotemporal and kinematic variables during gait undergo characteristic changes with aging. However, the relationships between these domains, and how these change with aging, have not been extensively investigated. RESEARCH QUESTION: How does age affect relationships between spatiotemporal and joint/segment range-of-motion variables during treadmill gait? METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a motion capture system tracked 60 participants (20-80 years old), walking at self-selected and slow speeds on a treadmill. Spatiotemporal (step length, width, time, velocity) and range-of-motion (ankle, knee, hip, pelvis, trunk) variables were extracted from 50 steps at each speed. Mixed-effects models were used to quantify relationships between spatiotemporal variables and age, range-of-motion, and interactions between age and range-of-motion. RESULTS: Significant relationships with range-of-motion were found for some spatiotemporal variables; the direction of the relationship was most often positive, with several negative relationships. Significant interaction effects were observed for several pairings (ankle range-of-motion - step length, ankle range-of-motion - step velocity, hip range-of-motion - step velocity), with stronger relationships between spatiotemporal and range-of-motion variables as age increased. SIGNIFICANCE: Stronger relationships at both the ankle and hip in older adults may suggest that older adults rely more on motion at these joints, and constrain other degrees-of-freedom, in an attempt to maintain gait velocity for successful task execution and/or safety on the treadmill. This study statistically quantifies the effects of age on the relationships between spatiotemporal and kinematic domains while accounting for stride-to-stride variations during gait, which provides insight into the control of spatiotemporal variables in healthy individuals across adulthood, and may inform strategies for identifying gait dysfunction with aging.

doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2024.11.016Open accessPubMed 39662219Mechanisms