Gender differences in Intra Limb Coordination while walking in older people

Knowledge about gender differences in intra-limb coordination during walking provides insight into the adaptability of central nervous system for controlling gait in older adults. We assessed the variability and phase dynamic of the intra-limb coordination in older men and women during walking. Twenty two older people, 11 female and 11 male, participated in this study. They were asked to perform walk on a treadmill at their preferred speed. Deviation phase and mean absolute relative phase values -indicators of variability and phase dynamic of intra-limb coordination, respectively- were calculated using the data collected by a motion capture system. We used independent sample t-test for statistical analysis. The results showed that women had a significant higher deviation phase in pelvis-thigh inter-segmental relationships on both sides. Additionally, the mean absolute relative phase of left pelvis-thigh, thigh-shank and shank-foot were significantly different between men and women. While women showed a lower mean absolute relative phase in pelvis-thigh, men had a lower mean absolute relative phase in shank-thigh inter-segmental relationships. We suggest that gender could affect the intra-limb coordination variability and phase dynamic during walking in older people. This may be a reflection of the great adaptability of neuromuscular system to modify control strategies for walking in older women/ men.