Spontaneous Interpersonal Synchronization of Gait: A Systematic Review.
Danielle T Felsberg, Christopher K Rhea
PMID 33778472WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy adults walking side by side naturally sync their steps, especially when holding hands or touching.
No clinical patients were studied, so this does not yet prove that side-by-side walking improves gait rehabilitation outcomes.
Key findings
01All 16 included studies found fluctuations in gait dynamics that support spontaneous interpersonal synchronization.
02Tactile information, such as hand-holding or physical contact, generally leads to stronger spontaneous synchronization than visual or auditory cues.
03None of the included studies examined clinical populations; all participants were healthy or athletic.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
No clinical populations were studied; all evidence comes from healthy or athletic individuals, so applicability to patients with gait dysfunction is unknown. The review could not perform a meta-analysis because the included studies used widely varying research questions, outcomes, and measurement methods. Sample sizes in the included studies were small, with an average of 22.9 participants per study. Only 16 articles met the strict inclusion criteria, indicating a limited scope of research in this specific area. Nearly half of the included studies were 10 or more years old.
Declared interests
The provided text does not contain a conflict of interest or funding declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that side-by-side walking is an effective rehabilitation intervention for patients. The review found no studies in clinical populations, so the synchronization observed in healthy adults has not been shown to improve gait in those with disabilities.