Kinematic comparison of biomechanical gait of elderly women with different indoors footwear

Abstract: The increase in life expectancy and, consequently, population aging is a phenomenon observed worldwide. One of the main problems that aging brings is the difficulty in mobility due to the muscle weakening that is natural to aging, resulting in a slower and more unstable biomechanical gait. Footwear plays an important role in gait patterns and risk of falls among older adults. The research´s aim is to investigate how much a senescent woman's kinematic gait can be altered due to the type of footwear used, focusing on the use of footwear worn indoors, since most falls occur in this environment. The study compares gait when using footwear and also in relation to walking barefoot as a basis for comparisons. The aim is to contribute and guide future research related to human factors in footwear, aiming to provide comfort and safety to elderly women while using the shoe. Slow gait speed in elderly people indicates a trustworthy risk of falls, as well as increased step length and variability in swing time, which are the main predictors of falls. Therefore, for the experiment, the main kinematic measures of quantitative gait analysis were determined, describing the kinematics of barefoot gait, using flip-flops, open sandals and knitting shoe upper, comparing the results and listing the similarities and differences between the four gaits obtained. A convenience sample of ten elderly women over 70 years of age were invited to walk on a walkway marked on the floor, barefoot and while wearing the three different models of footwear. The experiment consisted of capturing video of a ten-step walk for each shoe and also barefoot. The gaits were filmed and analyzed in the Tracker 6.2.0 software for Windows, which it was possible to extract numerical data of position and angle of the predetermined points from the videos captured for the kinematic analyses. Spatial gait parameters used in this study were: stride length and heel-to-heel support base. Temporal parameters used were: speed, step time, swing time, double support time and cadence. The results of stride length variability, stride time variability and swing time variability were computed and statistically analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance based on the barefoot gait pattern. The results, when analyzed according to the main gait factors predictive of falls in the elderly, indicate that walking barefoot or with flip-flops and open heels shoe model indicate a higher risk of falls when compared to walking with high collar shoe model or shoes that at least cover the instep. The research revealed that the gait of elderly women changes according to the footwear used, so footwear may be a factor that increases the risk of falls or contributes to preventing them.

Keywords: footwear, elderly, biomechanical gait

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006289

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