Effect of walking speed during gait in water of healthy elderly

摘要

Background: Walking in water (WW) is frequently used as an aquatic exercise in rehabilitation programs for the elderly. Understanding gait characteristics of WW is of primary importance to effectively design specific water based rehabilitation programs. Moreover, as walking speed in water is reduced with a possible effect on gait parameters, the ageand environment-related changes during WW have to be investigated considering the effects of instantaneous walking speed. Research question: how do gait kinematic characteristics differ in healthy elderly between WW and on land walking condition (LW)? Do elderly show different walking patterns compared to young adults? Can these kinematic changes be accounted only by the different environment/age or are they also related to walking speed?