Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2019 Aug;19(8):736-739. doi: 10.1111/ggi.13691. Epub 2019 May 20.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the circular gait test as a method for detecting side-to-side straight-line gait asymmetry in older adults.
A total of 25 healthy older adults and 20 healthy young adults participated in this study. Walking speeds, right- and left-leg step lengths, and stance durations were measured during straight-line walking using a triaxial accelerometer (G-walk from Bertec Japan). Step length and stance duration laterality were calculated using the side-to-side difference (|Left - Right|) and asymmetry index (|Left - Right| / mean right and left values × 100). For circular gait, the time required to walk twice around a 1-m diameter circle for right and left rotations was measured, and the laterality was calculated using the same formula as that described for the straight-line gait.
The results showed no differences in straight-line step length or stance duration laterality between groups. However, circular gait asymmetry was significantly higher for older participants. A significant correlation was confirmed between circular gait time and straight-line step length for older adults (r = 0.404).
The present study suggested that the circular gait test had better potential to detect age-related changes in gait laterality than straight-line gait step length or stance duration, and it might work as a simple assessment method for detecting laterality in straight-line walking. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 736-739.
本研究旨在评估圆形步态测试作为检测老年人直线步态左右不对称的方法的有效性。
本研究共纳入 25 名健康老年人和 20 名健康年轻人。使用三轴加速度计（Bertec 日本的 G-walk）在直线行走过程中测量行走速度、右和左腿步长以及支撑期持续时间。使用左右侧差异（|Left - Right|）和不对称指数（|Left - Right| / 右和左值的平均值×100）计算步长和支撑期的左右侧差异。对于圆形步态，测量左右旋转两次围绕 1 米直径圆圈所需的时间，并使用与直线步态相同的公式计算左右侧差异。
结果显示，两组之间的直线步长或支撑期左右侧差异无差异。然而，老年人的圆形步态不对称性明显更高。对于老年人，圆形步态时间与直线步长之间存在显著相关性（r = 0.404）。
本研究表明，与直线步长或支撑期相比，圆形步态测试在检测与年龄相关的步态左右侧变化方面具有更好的潜力，并且可能作为检测直线行走左右侧的简单评估方法。
