Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Gait Posture. 2013 Jan;37(1):88-92. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.06.034. Epub 2012 Aug 4.
Walking barefoot or in socks is common for ambulating indoors and has been reported to be associated with increased risk of falls and related injuries in the elderly. This study sought to determine if gait patterns differed between these two conditions for young and older adults. A motion analysis system was used to record and calculate the stride characteristics and motion of the body's center of mass (COM) of 21 young and 20 older adults. For the walking tasks, the participants walked on a smooth floor surface at their preferred speed either barefoot or in socks in a random order. The socks were commercially available and commonly used. The results demonstrated that while walking in socks, compared with walking barefoot, older adults adopted a more cautious gait pattern including decreased walking speed and shortened stride length as well as reduced COM minimal velocity during the single limb support phase. Young adults, however, did not demonstrate significant changes. These findings suggest that walking with socks might present a greater balance threat for older adults. Clinically, safety precautions about walking in socks should be considered to be given to older adults, especially those with balance deficits.
赤脚或穿袜子行走在室内很常见，有报道称这种行为会增加老年人摔倒和相关伤害的风险。本研究旨在确定在两种情况下，年轻人和老年人的步态模式是否存在差异。使用运动分析系统记录和计算 21 名年轻成年人和 20 名老年成年人的步幅特征和身体质心（COM）的运动。在行走任务中，参与者以他们喜欢的速度在光滑的地面上赤脚或穿袜子行走，顺序随机。这些袜子是市面上常见的、常用的袜子。结果表明，与赤脚行走相比，老年人在穿袜子行走时会采取更为谨慎的步态模式，包括行走速度减慢、步幅缩短以及单肢支撑阶段 COM 最小速度降低。然而，年轻人并没有表现出明显的变化。这些发现表明，穿袜子行走可能对老年人构成更大的平衡威胁。临床上，应考虑向老年人，特别是那些有平衡缺陷的老年人，告知穿袜子行走的安全注意事项。
