Aging may negatively impact movement smoothness during stair negotiation

Human Movement Science
Philippe C DixonJ M Schiffman

Abstract

Stairs represent a barrier to safe locomotion for some older adults, potentially leading to the adoption of a cautious gait strategy that may lack fluidity. This strategy may be characterized as unsmooth; however, stair negotiation smoothness has yet to be quantified. The aims of this study were to assess age- and task-related differences in head and body center of mass (COM) acceleration patterns and smoothness during stair negotiation and to determine if smoothness was associated with the timed "Up and Go" (TUG) test of functional movement. Motion data from nineteen older and twenty young adults performing stair ascent, stair descent, and overground straight walking trials were analyzed and used to compute smoothness based on the log-normalized dimensionless jerk (LDJ) and the velocity spectral arc length (SPARC) metrics. The associations between TUG and smoothness measures were evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). Stair tasks increased head and body COM acceleration pattern differences across groups, compared to walking (p < 0.05). LDJ smoothness for the head and body COM decreased in older adults during stair descent, compared to young adults (p ≤ 0.015) and worsened with increasing TUG for all tasks (-0.6...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 6, 2019·Frontiers in Physiology·James P GavinConstantinos N Maganaris
Nov 11, 2019·Sports Medicine - Open·John KielyDavid J Collins
Apr 21, 2021·Neurogastroenterology and Motility : the Official Journal of the European Gastrointestinal Motility Society·Austin J ScholpTimothy M McCulloch
Jun 15, 2021·Multiple Sclerosis International·Philipp GuldePeter Rieckmann

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