Abstract
In order to evaluate the effects of aging on the head and trunk movements during locomotion, 10 young (mean age 24.9 years) and 10 older (mean age 53.0 years) subjects were examined kinesiologically during walking with their eyes open (EO) and with a blindfold (EC). For this study, a 3-D motion analyzing system composed of 2 infrared digital CCD cameras and a data processor was used.
In both the young and older subjects, the head translation, pitch and roll movements were significantly smaller during walking with EC than with EO. Thus, we speculated that visual deprivation impairs spatial orientation in the brain resulting in a changed locomotor pattern, and that this may enhance the sensitivity of the other sensory systems.
In most young subjects, the head roll was compensatory for the trunk roll (negative correlation) during walking both with EO and EC. In many older subjects, by contrast, the head and trunk moved in the same direction (positive correlation) during walking especially with EC. The findings in the present study suggest that in young people the center of gravity is better stabilized during walking than in older people, and that young people are less dependent on visual input for spatial orientation in the brain than older people.
