Gait Speed in Functionally and Healthy Elder People
Abstract
The aging process involves disorder s known as geriatric syndromes, which can aff ect the functional
reserve and the gait speed, which is an indicator that can predict adverse events and refl ect underlying
pathophysiological changes.
A descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study was carried out with the aim of measuring the
gait speed in healthy elderly adults, and its relation with clinical and demographic characteristics.
Gait speed was calculated by means of observational video analysis, measuring space-time parameters (length and time of the walking cycle).
A sample of 60 individuals older than 65 years was evaluated, the average age was 76 years.
The average gait speed was 1.10 m/s (range 0.60-1.47 m/s). For the group of less than 75 years it was
1.20 m/s, among those over 80 it was 1.0 m/s.
These fi ndings are similar to that found in international studies. It was evidenced that the gait speed
of the functionally healthy older individuals decreases with age. This study is the fi rst performed in the
Uruguayan elderly population.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Aldo Sgaravatti, Dario Santos, Gustavo Bermúdez, Ana Barboza
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