Anthropometric, functional and foot trajectory determinants of stride length in self-reliant community-dwelling elderly persons in Talca, Chile

Abstract

Objective: To analyze anthropometric, muscle performance and foot trajectory determinants of stride length (SL) during walking at a comfortable pace among self-reliant communitydwelling elderly persons in Talca, Chile. Method: A total of 63 self-reliant elderly persons participated in this observational and cross-sectional study. They were characterized by the anthropometric measures of mass, height and body mass index. Dorsiflexor muscle strength performance (DF-MS) and rate of force development were quantified. Finally, the elderly persons were asked to walk comfortably around a 40 meter elliptical circuit, using determined SL and maximum foot clearance (MaxFC) and minimum foot clearance (MFC) trajectory parameters. The SL determinants were evaluated by calculating the coefficient of determination (r 2 ) considering a level of significance of p≤0.05. Results: The anthropometric variables demonstrated significant correlations (r>0.41) with the explanation of SL remaining incipient (r 2 <0.20). Muscle performance, meanwhile, was significantly correlated (r>0.52), with DF-MS standing out (r 2 =0.342). MaxFC represented a significant explanation for the data (r 2 =0.396), while the low correlation of MFC was not significant (r=0.24, r 2 =0.058). Conclusion: MaxFC and DF-MS are determinants of SL in self-reliant elderly Chileans. It is proposed that gait parameters could be normalized in accordance with trajectory and muscular performance.