Citation

Zucchelli A, Lucente D, Filippini C, Marengoni A, Lopomo NF. Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s40520-023-02403-0

PMID

37071388

Abstract

Gait smoothness, perceived when a person walks continuously and uninterruptedly, is associated with an undisrupted gait pattern, good sensorimotor control, and a lower risk of falling. The spectral arc length (SPARC) is a quantitative metric proposed for the evaluation of movement smoothness from the signal obtained by wearable sensors. In this small exploratory case-control study, older persons with and without a history of injurious falls underwent a turn-test while wearing an accelerometer: gait smoothness was estimated by calculating SPARC during the straight and turning phases. Cases seemed to exhibit lower SPARC values during the turning phase, in comparison with control.

Language: en

Keywords

Fall risk; Gait smoothness; Older persons; SPARC