The comparison of gait pattern symmetry among elderly women with good and bad motor-functional ability

Purpose: A large number of the elderly population suffers from mobility and functional impairments due to an unhealthy lifestyle. The close relationship between motor-functional abilities and joint and limb stability can affect daily activities such as walking. The aim of this study was to investigate the comparison of gait pattern symmetry among elderly women with good and bad motor-functional ability.

Methods: 16 elderly women participated in this study. Based on their mobility and functional screening results, subjects of this study divided into two groups (G-MFA=8, B-MFA=8). Motion analysis system was used to collect gait pattern data. After smoothing the motion data and performing inverse kinematics, the data were normalized based on the gait cycle. Spatial-temporal symmetry was obtained through three-dimensional marker position data, while kinematic symmetry was obtained through selected degrees of freedom using statistical parametric mapping. For statistical comparison, we first used the Shapiro-Wilk test to examine the normality of the data distribution, followed by the independent t-test to compare the groups. We also utilized the paired t-test in the parametric mapping package to assess kinematics symmetry.

Results: Among the spatial-temporal and kinematic components studied, none of the spatial-temporal components were significant between the two groups of good and bad motor-functional ability. Among kinematic symmetry, significant were found in anterior-posterior tilt (p = 0/013) and lateral tilt (p = 0/045) at certain percentages of the gait cycle in the group with poor motor-functional ability.

Conclusion: Based on the observed asymmetry in pelvic movements in the group with poor motor-functional ability, it is reasonable to infer that weakness in core muscle regions is a contributing factor in pelvis’s movement asymmetry. Strengthening these muscles in the elderly group could lead to improvements in gait quality and prevention of secondary issues related to gait asymmetry, such as falls.