Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristic of gait of elderly people with kyphosis. [Subjects] The subjects were 12 healthy elderly persons and 12 elderly persons with kyphosis. [Methods] We measured the index of kyphosis as a quantitative assessment of kyphosis, and divided the subjects into two groups using the index of kyphosis. We employed a 3-dimensional motion analysis system and 6 force platforms to capture kinetic and kinematic data of gait. The experimental condition was walking at a self-selected speed. We repeated the measurements in three trials. [Results] Elderly people with kyphosis decreased maximum hip abduction moment in the late stance phase and increased pelvic posterior tilt and pelvic rotation. [Conclusion] These results suggest that alignment changes of elderly people with kyphosis cause biomechanical changes in the frontal plane.
