Gait characteristics of young and older individuals negotiating a raised surface: Implications for the prevention of falls

Background. Falls in older individuals are a major public health issue because of the financial cost of surgery and rehabilitation and the human cost of associated pain and disability. Older individuals are most likely to fall when negotiating an obstacle or obstruction during locomotion. This research was aimed at investigating lower limb motion while a subject negotiated a raised surface. Methods. The gait of six healthy young (Y) women (mean age 23.1 years) and six healthy older (O) women (mean age 67.6 years) were analyzed with a PEAK motion analyzer and a dual-force-platform system during unobstructed walking and when the subjects were stepping on and off a raised surface of 15 cm. The effect of age on foot clearance and force platform variables was analyzed. Results. During stepping on, the young women cleared the step by the lead foot by a significantly greater margin than the older subjects did (Y = 10.6 cm, O = 9.1 cm; p < .05) but trail-foot clearance was not significantly different (Y = 9.4 cm, O = 8.8 cm). Fool clearance in stepping off was low compared with that of ascent, and the older individuals had a significantly higher lead (Y = 1.5 cm, O = 3.3 cm, p < .05) and trail (Y = 1.0 cm, O = 2.1 cm) vertical clearance. Older individuals positioned both the lead and the trail foot relatively farther from the step edge on ascending a raised surface, respectively, Y = 87% and O = 93% of the step cycle and Y = 29% and O = 34%. Foot placement in descent was qualitatively similar for the two groups. The force and the impulse data under the lead and the trail feet confirm modulations consistent with the foot clearance data. Conclusion. In negotiating a raised surface older individuals appear to use a nonoptimal foot placement strategy in which, compared with that of young subjects, the trail foot is placed a long way from the edge of the step. The older subjects allowed very little correction time and little latitude in foot placement beyond the edge of the step, suggesting that the approach to the obstacle may be a critical determinant of safety.