Biomechanics of Gait in the Elderly: A Literature Review

Abstract

Context: Aging is associated with extensive changes in physiological and biomechanical factors, such as reduction of muscle function. Identifying and controlling the negative effects caused by these changes can help improve the quality of life of the elderly and reduce treatment costs. The objective of this research is to investigate the biomechanical changes of gates among elderly people. Methods: All full-text articles with the keywords including elderly and walking, gait, aging, and geriatrics were considered. Data collection was done using a "Data Extraction Form" which was designed based on the purpose of the research. Articles were searched in reliable databases such as Mendeley PubMed, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar SpringerLink, and SID by searching keywords. At first, 1985 articles regarding biomechanical parameters of walking were found. Finally, 12 articles were directly related to the topic. Results: The results of our studies showed that changes would occur in both kinetics and walking kinematics in old age due to the lack of neuromuscular and skeletal capacity and weakness in aspects of balance, coordination, and posture control. The elderly tend to perform compensatory strategies and altered movement patterns in gait, which lead to some changes in kinematic and kinetic characteristics. Conclusions: Prevention, reduction, and treatment of movement disorders require timely diagnosis. Therefore, researches in the area of walking the elderly and assessing their risk of falling, and understanding how much age-related decline can be tolerated before creating movement restrictions are key factors.