These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed


  • Title: Reliability of gait parameters during treadmill walking in community-dwelling healthy seniors.
    Author: Faude O, Donath L, Roth R, Fricker L, Zahner L.
    Journal: Gait Posture; 2012 Jul; 36(3):444-8. PubMed ID: 22555061.
    Abstract:
    The present study aimed at assessing the between- and within-day-variability of temporal and spatial gait characteristics during treadmill walking in community-dwelling seniors. In 20 active, healthy seniors (10 women, 10 men, age: 64.8 (SD 3.2) years, height: 1.70 (0.10) m, weight: 69.7 (10.9) kg, physical activity: 11 (6) h week(-1)) gait characteristics were assessed on three days in weekly intervals (between-day variability). Either on days two or three, testing was repeated 30 min after the initial trial (within-day variability). We determined routine spatio-temporal gait parameters as well as gait variability during 400 steps at a normal walking speed (5.0 (0.4) km h(-1)) on a one-dimensional ground reaction force measuring treadmill. No significant mean differences occurred in any parameter for between- and within-day comparisons. Between-day ICC were high (ICC≥0.86) for most parameters except for temporal (ICC=0.44) and spatial (ICC=0.22) gait variability. Coefficients of variation (CoV) were also high in the latter parameters (CoV=30.2-36.1%), whereas all other variables showed clearly lower values (CoV<7%). CoV were still lower between days 2 and 3 (CoV<5%). Compared to between-day comparisons, within-day variability was comparable in spatio-temporal gait parameters (CoV<5%, ICC≥0.97) and lower in gait variability parameters (CoV<18%, ICC≥0.72-0.74). In conclusion, most gait parameters were highly reliable during treadmill walking. Changes of less than 10% can be detected with sufficient confidence. Gait variability parameters were less reliable and, thus, should be carefully interpreted.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]