Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI), Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajersvej 7 D, 9220, Aalborg, Denmark.
Aging Clin Exp Res. 2013 Jun;25(3):299-304. doi: 10.1007/s40520-013-0038-5. Epub 2013 May 14.
Falls among the elderly are often associated with walking on uneven ground. Obstacle negotiation requires both postural reaction strategies and anticipatory strategies which may be impaired with age. Anticipatory strategies are necessary in many daily living situations such as crossing the street and negotiating a kerb. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether elderly and young people use different step adjustment strategies during the approach to a raised surface.
Eleven community-dwelling elderly adults and 14 young adults participated in the study. Characteristics in the gait pattern leading to the negotiation of a raised surface were examined by the use of an electronic gait mat in a laboratory setting.
Both groups changed their gait pattern to adjust the placement of the last step leading to negotiation of the obstacle. The young participants had a tendency to gradually increase their step velocity and step length while the elderly participants slowed their velocity and shortened their step length. Major step length adjustments began four steps prior to ascending the platform among the young participants, but one step later among the elderly.
Elderly people use more cautious anticipatory strategies. These strategies allow more time for postural adjustments, but they also result in a loss of forward momentum which may influence the negotiation of a raised surface negatively.
老年人跌倒通常与在不平坦的地面上行走有关。障碍物的协商需要姿势反应策略和预期策略，而这些策略可能会随着年龄的增长而受损。预期策略在许多日常生活情况下都是必要的，例如过马路和过路缘。本研究的目的是评估老年人和年轻人在接近凸起表面时是否使用不同的步长调整策略。
11 名居住在社区的老年人和 14 名年轻人参加了这项研究。通过在实验室环境中使用电子步态垫来检查导致障碍物协商的步态模式特征。
两组人都改变了步态模式，以调整最后一步的位置，从而进行障碍物的协商。年轻参与者倾向于逐渐增加他们的步速和步长，而老年人参与者则降低他们的速度并缩短他们的步长。年轻参与者在登上平台前四步就开始进行主要的步长调整，但老年人则晚一步。
老年人使用更谨慎的预期策略。这些策略为姿势调整提供了更多的时间，但也导致了向前动量的损失，这可能会对凸起表面的协商产生负面影响。
