Fear of Falling Contributing to Cautious Gait Pattern in Women Exposed to a Fictional Disturbing Factor: A Non-randomized Clinical Trial.

This study aimed to investigate the gait pattern of elderly women with and without fall-history, with high and low fear of falling, when exposed to a disturbing factor. Forty-nine elderly women without cognitive impairment agreed to participate. Participants were divided into four groups, considering the history of falls and fear of falling. Three-dimensional gait analysis was performed to assess gait kinematics before and after exposure to the fictional disturbing factor (psychological and non-motor agent). After being exposed to the perturbation, all showed shorter step length, stride length and slower walking speed. Those without fall-history and with high fear of falling showed greater changes and lower Gait Profile Score. The gait changes shown in the presence of a fear-of-falling causing agent led to a cautious gait pattern in an attempt to increase protection. However, those changes increased fall-risk, boosted by fear of falling. www.residentialclinics.gov.br, identifier: RBR-35xhj5.