Temporal and spatial features of gait in older adults transitioning to frailty

Examining gait characteristics in older adults who are transitioning to frailty enhances our understanding of movement control in this fall-prone population and helps to better target preventive interventions. This work presents data on temporal and spatial gait parameters of a group of older adults who have been operationally defined as "transitionally frail". Gait speed, cadence, stride length, stance, swing, double-support, and horizontal heel velocity at heel contact were measured in 50 transitionally frail older adults while walking at a self-selected pace. These data suggest that the temporal and spatial gait features of these older adults differ substantially from published results from other older adults. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.