300人の歩行データを用いた歩行安定性指標と歩行パラメータの関係

抄録

Stability while walking is essential as accidents may lead to severe injuries. In this study, we calculated the margin of stability (MoS) and maximum Lyapunov exponent (λ_s), the two prominent stability indices of walking, using a gait database of 300 people with 1.5 strides. Thus far, the relationship between these indices and other gait parameters including joint angles has not been investigated for such a large participant pool. Therefore, we determined the relationship between these stability indices and gait parameters by using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the MoS was dominated by walking speed in the forward direction and associated with various joint angles in the lateral direction. Conversely, no relationship was identified betweenλ_s and gait parameters. Although the MoS and λ_s represent certain aspects of gait stability, they are either independent or associated with only a part of gait parameters. Thus, the feature of gait motion represented by λ_s does not rely directly on the gait parameters. λ_s is not expected to be easily improved by modifying a specific gait parameter.