A Comparison of Dynamic Gait Stability between the Young and Elderly Female Populations Using the Zero-Moment Point Method

Abstract

A compromised stability in the elderly population is considered a major factor for fall risk assessment. The dynamic stability of human gait with various mathematical metrics has been extensively studied to find a prediction index and fall prevention strategies that can be embedded in a wearable monitoring sensor. In this study, the zero-moment point method (ZMP) was utilized for analyzing the gait stability of young and elderly female populations. Participants in the young and elderly female groups with no musculoskeletal disorders and fall experience were asked to walk at a habitual speed on 10 m flat ground. Dynamic instability is defined by the percentage of the ZMP values that fall outside the base of support during one gait cycle. The ZMP trajectory between the left and right leg swing was not symmetrical considering flat-ground walking. Also, there was no statistical difference in the dynamic stability in the anterior–posterior direction (71.3 ± 7.9% for the young group and 73.6 ± 7.6% for the elderly group), but walking in the medial–lateral direction was more stable in the elderly group (53.9 ± 8.6%) than in the young group (44.1 ± 11.2%) because the habitual walking speed decreased in the elderly group.