Strength of Plantar- and Dorsiflexors Mediates Step Regularity During a High Cognitive Load Situation in a Cross-sectional Cohort of Older and Younger Adults.
Farahnaz FallahTafti, Kristen Watson, Julie Blaskewicz Boron and 3 others
PMID 31851025WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy older adults showed more irregular side-to-side stepping than younger adults, linked to ankle strength.
However, carrying a tray that blocked their view made both groups step more rigidly and regularly. The study found no significant difference in dual-task walking costs between age groups.
Key findings
01Older adults exhibited more irregular step width than younger adults across all conditions, but only when adjusting for ankle strength.
02Both age groups walked with more regular step length when using an opaque tray compared to baseline, suggesting a shift in movement strategy due to visual restriction.
03There were no significant differences in high cognitive load costs of gait between younger and older adults.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (29 analyzed participants). Participants were healthy, active, and living independently, so results may not apply to those with fall history or mobility impairments. Visual acuity and bifocal use were not recorded, which could influence gait during visual restriction tasks. The opaque tray was heavier than the clear tray, confounding the effect of vision restriction with weight. Walking on a self-paced treadmill is not identical to overground walking and may have introduced its own cognitive or visual demands.
Declared interests
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.), specifically extramural and non-U.S. government sources. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of significant difference in 'dual-task cost' as evidence that older adults handle multitasking as well as younger adults. The study found that older adults had more irregular side-to-side stepping when strength was accounted for, indicating a subtle vulnerability in gait control that standard speed or variability measures missed.