Abstract
Purpose: When individuals walk, they step over obstacles in their way by adjusting their last few steps before the obstacle, or lengthening or shortening their steps. We studied the influence of age and walking speed on the adjustment of step length for stepping over obstacles.
Methods: Twelve young adults (age 24.5 ± 3.9 years) and 12 older adults (age 74.2 ± 5.7 years) participated in an experiment with the task of stepping over obstacles. Each participant's steps were measured by a footprint method and classified as lengthened, shortened or not adjusted, followed by analysis of the influence of age and walking speed.
Results: The analysis showed no influence in walking speed on the choice of step length adjustment in either the young or older group. Those in the young group tended to lengthen their steps, whereas those in the older group tended to shorten their steps.
Conclusion: Older adults seem to shorten their steps as an adjustment before stepping over obstacles, thus avoiding falling while walking.
