Omana, HA, Madou, E, Divine, A et al. (5 more authors) (2022) The effect of first-time 4-wheeled walker use on the gait of younger and older adults. PM&R, 14 (11). pp. 1333-1342. ISSN 1934-1482
Abstract
Introduction
The 4-wheeled walker is intended to enhance balance and gait for older adults. Yet, some research suggests that walking aids increase falls risk. An understanding of the influence of age with walker use on gait performance is required.
Objective
To examine the effect of initial 4-wheeled walker use on spatiotemporal gait parameters between younger and older adults.
Design
Cross-sectional, repeated-measures.
Setting
Community-dwelling.
Participants
Twenty-five younger (age: 26.5 ± 4.1 years) and 24 older (age: 68.5 ± 10.5 years) adults participated. Younger adults were aged 18 to 35 years, whereas older adults were 50 years or older. Included were people not requiring the use of a walking aid, and those able to converse in English.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Gait velocity and stride time variability were recorded using accelerometers. Gait was examined under three conditions: unassisted walking; walking with a 4-wheeled walker; and walking with a 4-wheeled walker while completing a secondary task. Conditions were performed across two walking paths: straight and figure-of-8 Walk Test. Separate mixed-methods analyses of variance (ANOVAs; within-subject: condition/path; between-subject: group) were used for statistical analyses.
Results
Velocity was lower when walking using a walker while completing a cognitive task (p < .001), in the figure-of-8 Walk Test (p < .001), and in older adults (p = .001). Stride time variability increased with walking path and condition difficulty (p < .001) for the straight path versus the figure-of-8 Walk Test.
Conclusions
Using a 4-wheeled walker resulted in a slower and more inconsistent gait pattern across both age groups. Walking more complex configurations resulted in the prioritization of gait over the cognitive task while performing the dual-task conditions. No evidence of an age-related difference in the effect of initial walker use on gait was observed. Nonetheless, walkers are cognitively demanding and their introduction should warrant a clinical follow-up.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Omana, HA, Madou, E, Divine, A, et al. The effect of first-time 4-wheeled walker use on the gait of younger and older adults. PM&R: The Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation. 2021; 14(11), 1333-1342, which has been published in final form at doi:10.1002/pmrj.12700. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biomedical Sciences (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 07 Dec 2021 13:06 |
Last Modified: | 22 Dec 2022 14:51 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/pmrj.12700 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:181179 |