Temporal parameters and patterns of the foot roll over during walking: normative data for healthy adults

Temporal parameters of the gait cycle and foot roll over in 105 healthy adults (75 women and 30 men aged 16 to 63 years) were collected using foot switches. The subjects walked unobserved at their preferred pace and velocity in a hallway 19 m long and 2.8 m wide. After correction for height, a significant gender influence remained on stance parameters and stride duration. For these adults, age had an effect on the forward tilt of the foot and the double support time only. Differences due to side related only to foot patterning and not stride, stance and swing times. Asymmetry coefficient for temporal parameters of gait cycle and foot roll over revealed the greatest asymmetry in metatarsal head and great toe latency and support. These reference data are considered valid in a laboratory using sensors and signal processing comparable to ours. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.