Gait Parameters of Healthy , Elderly People Udc 796 . 012 . 412 : 613 . 98

Walking is one of the most common human movements. It means to transport the body safely and efficiently across ground level, uphill or downhill. Walking is learned during the first year of life and reaches maturity around the age of seven,remaining at the same level until 60. In old age one's walking performance starts to decline and it gradually slows down. With the increased life expectancy of the elderly and their more active lifestyle, there is now an emphasis on determining any changes that occur in their gait patterns, in order to indentify diagnostic measures that are usable for monitoring the rehabilitation process after endoprothesis implantation. The aim of this study is to determine how selected kinematical, kinetic and electromyographical parameters may change as a result of aging. A total of 31 healthy elderly subjects without any history of lower extremity joint pathology were investigated at constant gait speed (three km/h). The gait analysis equipment used consisted of an infinitely adjustable treadmill with force-plates and an ultrasoundbased motion analyser with a surface electromyograph. Spatial-temporal, angular, kinetic and electromyographical parameters were recorded for the lower extremities. The results obtained from the lower limb were compared on both sides as well as with those of 50 healthy young individuals collected from our database. The elderly had a significantly shorter step length and wider step width compared to the results of a young control group. Our results showed that the aged individuals demostrated a statistically lesser range of motion in different joints during walking. We suggested that neurophysiological changes associated with aging might result in the less certainty of the neuromuscular system in selecting a stable gait.