The effect of a novel task intervention on gait variability in older adults

Increased gait variability in older adults has been found to increase fall risk. We propose that older adults can reduce gait variability by performing a lateral stepping training. Fourteen older adults aged 65+ underwent a six-week lateral stepping training 3-days/week. Gait variability was measured before, after completion of the training, and six weeks following completion. The six-week intervention significantly decreased step-width variability in older adults, and the effects were retained for six weeks after the completion of the intervention. Variability of stride-time, stance-time, and step-length showed a decreasing trend after the intervention, although no statistically significant. Importantly, variability decreased significantly for all parameters from Baseline at Retention assessment. These results demonstrated the feasibility of the intervention to reduce gait variability.