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1986; 66:1382-1387.PHYS THER. Patricia A Hageman and Daniel J Blanke Women Comparison of Gait of Young Women and Elderly http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/66/9/1382be found online at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, can Collections Women's Health: Other Geriatrics: Other Gait Disorders in the following collection(s): This article, along with others on similar topics, appears e-Letters "Responses" in the online version of this article. "Submit a response" in the right-hand menu under or click onhere To submit an e-Letter on this article, click E-mail alerts to receive free e-mail alerts hereSign up by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from Comparison of Gait of Young Women and Elderly Women PATRICIA A. HAGEMAN and DANIEL J. BLANKE The purpose of our study was to describe and compare free-speed gait patterns of healthy young women with healthy elderly women. The evaluation was com- pleted with high-speed cinematography using synchronized front and side views of 26 healthy volunteers. One group was composed of 13 subjects 20 to 35 years of age, and the other group was composed of 13 subjects 60 to 84 years of age. Each subject participated in one test session consisting of three filmed trials of free-speed ambulation down a 14-m walkway. The processed film was analyzed for 10 gait characteristics. Differences in gait characteristics between the two groups were examined using a correlated t test (p < .01). The elderly women demonstrated significantly smaller values of step length, stride length, ankle range of motion, pelvic obliquity, and velocity when compared with the younger women. The results of our study suggest that the physical therapist should not establish similar expectations for young women and elderly women during gait rehabilitation. Key Words: Gait, Physical therapy. Understanding the effects of aging on movement and func- tion is becoming increasingly important because of longer average life spans and a growing elderly population. Changes in stereotypic movements such as walking patterns have been reported as early as 60 years of age. 1,2 Because elderly people frequently utilize physical therapy services to achieve the maximal functional ability of motor activities such as gait, the collection of gait analysis data of healthy elderly subjects is essential to establish realistic rehabilitation expectations of the elderly population. Although advances in technology have made objective methods of measuring gait more available, the physical ther- apy literature contains only a few studies of gait comparisons of healthy elderly women with healthy young women. 3-5 These studies report that elderly women demonstrate shorter step and stride lengths, lower average velocities, 3,5 and greater variability in stride width 4 when compared with young women. None of these studies, however, provides conclusive evidence of the effects of aging on the gait patterns of the elderly population because of small sample sizes and limita- tions in the number of specific gait characteristics examined. Additional comparisons of the gait characteristics of healthy young women and healthy elderly women are necessary be- cause gait training is a major portion of geriatric physical therapy rehabilitation and because women constitute a ma- jority of the over-60-years age group. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the free-speed gait char- acteristics of matched groups of healthy young women and healthy elderly women. METHOD Subjects and Selection Procedure Twenty-six female volunteers, thirteen 20 to 35 years of age and thirteen 60 years of age or older, were accepted as subjects. Each subject provided informed consent in accordance with the procedures of the University of Nebraska Institutional Review Board. The health status of each subject was evaluated on the basis of a medical review and an objective examination by a registered physical therapist, and all subjects were found to be free of disabling physical conditions or minor ailments that could affect or influence locomotion. Specifically, the subjects were without musculoskeletal or neurological involvement or medication for these conditions. Because leg length is an important determinant of stride length, 6 leg length was meas- ured to ensure that each subject was without a leg-length discrepancy (± 1.9 cm), as defined by Subotnick. 7 The per- centage of body fat of each subject was determined using skin- fold measurements to ensure that no subjects who were ex- tremely lean or obese would be included in the study. All subjects were within one standard deviation of the age-specific average percentage of body fat listed by Jackson et al. 8 For those subjects 20 to 35 years of age, the mean percentage of body fat was 22.7 ± 6.8; for those subjects 60 years of age and older, the mean percentage of body fat was 31.1 ± 7.5. The elderly women meeting these criteria were tested first. Young women meeting these criteria were recruited to match the elderly women on the basis of right leg length. The matching of right leg lengths was within the same range suggested by Subotnick for leg-length discrepancies 7 to achieve Mrs. Hageman is Instructor, Division of Physical Therapy Education, Uni- versity of Nebraska Medical Center, 42nd and Dewey Ave, Omaha, NE 68105 (USA). Dr. Blanke is Associate Professor, Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182. This article was submitted June 4,1985; was with the authors for revision 12 weeks; and was accepted January 29, 1986. 1382 PHYSICAL THERAPY by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from RESEARCH a close pairing of subjects between the young and elderly groups. Instrumentation High-speed cinematography was used to record the subjects' gait. The motion-recording system included two high-speed cameras positioned to orient their optical axes at 90 degrees with one camera parallel to and the other camera perpendic- ular to a 14-m walkway (Figure). The front camera, a Photec IV* fitted with a 50-mm Nikon † lens, was positioned 15.6 m from the center of the walkway. The side camera, a LoCam* fitted with a 25-mm Cosimcar* lens, was positioned 8 m from the center of the walkway. The cameras were positioned according to the procedure of Sutherland and Hagy. 9 Each camera was set to run at 100 frames a second. A 1-m reference scale was included in the field of view of both cameras. A lighting device also was placed in the view of both cameras to provide a common reference point so that frames could be matched later to analyze any phase of the walking cycle. The processed film was displayed on a Lafayette Data- viewer § rear projection system. This system projects the film image of the subject onto a viewing screen and allows the film to be viewed frame by frame or advanced up to 24 frames a second, depending on the viewer's needs for each variable that is measured. The desired measurements were made di- rectly from the projected image. A Numonics" digitizer was used in conjunction with the projection system to assign separate X,Y-coordinate values for any landmark from both front- and side-view films. The coordinate values for the landmarks were stored in a computer # and were used for calculating the variables. Procedure Each subject was scheduled for one 45-minute testing ses- sion. All testing was performed at the Gait Analysis Labora- tory at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Appropriate shorts and sleeveless shirt were the required dress. A 1.9-cm white dot with a 0.6-cm blue center was placed on the following anatomical points in accordance with the proce- dures of Sutherland and Hagy 9 and Sutherland et al 10 : right and left anterior-superior iliac spines (ASISs), center of both right and left patellae with the knee flexed to 25 degrees, right and left malleoli, and the space between the second and third metatarsals of both the right and left feet. Other markers included a pelvic stick that consisted of a 15.5-cm dowel directed perpendicularly from an Orthoplast ® base. The base was attached to a web belt with buckle closure. The belt was placed on the subject so that the stick projected anteriorly from a point midway between the ASISs. A tibial stick of similar construction was placed around the maximal circum- ference of the calf so that the stick projected anteriorly from the tibial crest. The subjects then walked barefoot along the 14-m walkway. Each subject was advised to walk at the pace she normally would choose when walking on a clear sidewalk. The first Camera Lighting Figure. Walkway plan of Gait Analysis Laboratory. 4.75 m of the walkway allowed each subject to accelerate to her chosen walking speed before reaching the filmed area. The area from which measurements were taken was 3.25 m long, allowing one to two gait cycles, depending on the size of the subject and her walking speed. The last 6 m of the walkway ensured that each subject did not decelerate until she had left the filmed walkway area. Each subject performed three trials. Measurements We used the procedure that was described by Sutherland and Hagy 9 and validated in 1980 by Sutherland et al 10 to obtain the measurements with the processed film. Reliability of the measurements taken from our processed film was high when test-retest results were compared during a pilot study. The same observer (P.A.H.) made all of the test-retest meas- urements from the film, recording a maximum deviation of 2.5 degrees for rotational measurements and a maximum deviation of 2 cm for distance measurements. * Photomic Systems, Inc, 265 H Sobrante Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. † Nikon, Inc, 623 Stewart Ave, Garden City, NY 11530. ‡ Redlake Corp, 1711 Dell Ave, Campbell, CA 95008. § Lafayette Instrument Co, PO Box 5729, Lafayette, IN 47903. ║Numonics Corp, 418 Pierce St, Lansdale, PA 19446. # Model 4052, Tektronix, Inc, PO Box 500, Beaverton, OR 97077. Volume 66 / Number 9, September 1986 1383 by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from Variables measured from the side view included: ankle plantar-flexion and dorsiflexion range of motion, average velocity of the center of gravity, step length, stride length, and vertical excursion of the center of gravity. Step length was measured as the distance in the line of travel between the right heel-strike and the following left heel-strike, beginning with the first full-body side view of the right heel-strike. A scale factor was calculated using the 1-m reference scale in the cameras' field of view. The measured film step length was multiplied by the scale factor to determine the actual step length. Stride length was measured as the distance in the line of travel between successive points of foot-floor contact of the right foot, beginning with the first total-body view involving a right foot step. Actual stride length was calculated by mul- tiplying the scale factor by the measured film stride length. Average walking velocity was recorded as the total distance traveled by the subject's center of gravity during one gait cycle divided by the time elapsed during the movement, recorded in centimeters per second. Center of gravity was calculated at the initial point of the right foot-floor contact during the first total-body view and the successive points of right foot-floor contact. Center of gravity was determined according to the segmentation method. 11 We calculated cycle time by counting the number of frames for one gait cycle and dividing the number by the film speed. Vertical center-of-gravity excursion was calculated by com- paring the center of gravity of digitized frames at mid-stance and double-support phases of the gait cycle. Vertical center- of-gravity excursion was determined by subtracting the lowest vertical point from the highest vertical point. A side view provided the method for determining the ankle plantar-flexion-dorsiflexion range of motion. The total degree of movement at the ankle formed by the line between the knee and ankle center and the line along the bottom of the foot was recorded in degrees. These measurements were ob- tained directly from the viewing screen with a protractor. The front-view camera provided the data for determining stride width, lateral center-of-gravity excursion, pelvic ob- liquity, pelvic rotation, and tibial rotation. Stride width was measured as the horizontal distance between two consecutive steps measured from a point between the second and third metatarsals of each foot. Because the subject image became larger as the subject approached the camera, the appropriate scale factor was used for each point measured and confirmed by measurements from the side view. The actual distance between the metatarsal points of both feet was the stride width. Lateral center-of-gravity excursion was considered to be the total lateral movement the body's center of gravity traveled during one gait cycle. The center-of-gravity (X,Y) coordinates for the mid-stance position of full weight bearing on the right foot and on the left foot were calculated. Using the appropriate scale factor for each center of gravity, the actual distance between the two center-of-gravity points was calculated. Pelvic obliquity was the arc of upward and downward movement from the horizontal plane of the right ASIS during one gait cycle. This measurement was obtained directly from the viewing screen with a protractor. When the right ASIS was at the highest vertical point, the angle of upward move- ment was measured as the angle formed by the intersection of two lines. The first line was the segment between the right ASIS and the center point between the right and left ASISs located at the base of the pelvic-stick attachment. The second line was the segment between the base of the pelvic-stick attachment to the horizontal plane. The angle of downward movement was determined in a similar fashion and added to the angle of upward movement for the total arc of movement. Pelvic rotation was the degree of rotation that the pelvis moved about a vertical axis. At 0 degrees of rotation, the 15.5- cm pelvic stick pointed directly ahead. At the point of greatest observed rotation to the right, the distance that the tip of the pelvic stick had rotated to the right from the neutral position was measured. This distance was converted into an actual distance using the appropriate scale factor. Considering this distance and the stick length to be two sides of a triangle, we used a trigonometric function to calculate the angle of rotation to the right. The same method was used for recording the greatest observed rotation to the left. The total rotation was the sum of the degrees of rotation to the right arid left. Tibial rotation was the degree the tibia rotated during foot- floor contact of the right foot. The rotation of the tibial stick about a vertical axis was calculated in the same manner as the pelvic-stick rotation. Data Analysis Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable meas- ured in both groups. An independent t test was used to compare the basic descriptive characteristics between the groups. Because the groups were nonrandom and matched for leg length, which may have affected the experimental variables, a correlated t test was used to compare gait char- acteristics between the groups. All comparisons were evalu- ated at the .01 level of significance. RESULTS The basic descriptive characteristics of both groups of women are presented in Table 1. The groups appeared to be well matched for leg length because no statistical differences were found between the two groups for either right or left leg- length comparisons. Although no differences were found in height or weight between the groups, the elderly women had a higher percentage of body fat than the younger women. Both groups, however, were within the normal range for percentage of body fat based on their age ranges. Gait characteristics measured from the film of the side-view camera are reported in Table 2. A comparison of the means of these variables reveals significant differences of all variables except the vertical excursion of the center of gravity. The younger female group demonstrated a longer step length and stride length than the elderly women. Greater ankle move- ment was observed in the walking patterns of the young women than in those of the elderly women. The young women also ambulated at a significantly faster rate than the elderly women. Table 3 lists the comparison of variables measured from the front-view camera. The only variable that revealed a significant difference between the two groups of women was pelvic obliquity because the young women demonstrated substantially greater pelvic obliquity compared with the el- derly women. We found no significant differences between the groups for pelvic or tibial rotation or for lateral center-of- gravity excursion. 1384 PHYSICAL THERAPY by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from RESEARCH TABLE 1 Basic Descriptive Characteristics of the Groups Variable Age (yr) Height (cm) Mass (kg) Body fat (%) Leg length (cm) Left Right 66.85 161.00 61.43 25.27 86.98 86.69 Elderly Women (n = 13) s 7.60 9.16 17.04 5.79 4.71 4.66 Range (60.0-84.0) (138.4-172.7) (37.7-107.9) (17.2-35.1) (78.5-95.6) (78.3-96.9) 23.92 165.10 60.43 20.37 86.81 86.65 Young Women (n-13). s 3.57 8.15 8.20 2.79 4.24 4.40 Range (20.0-33.0) (154.9-182.9) (49.8-74.9) (16.0-25.4) (80.0-94.1) (80.9-95.6) t -1.20 a 0.19 a 2.75 a,b 0.39 c 0.10 c DISCUSSION Our study resulted from a need to gain a better understand- ing of the gait characteristics of young women and elderly women. Whether physical therapists should expect elderly women to have the same rehabilitation potential as young women is not conclusive. Previous gait studies of healthy women either did not consider the specific matching of groups 3 or used a smaller sample size 5 than that used in our study. Previous studies comparing the gait characteristics of young and elderly women have emphasized gait intercycle variability 4 and the influences of heel height on gait. 5 This study of the linear, temporal, and rotational aspects of the gait patterns of healthy young women and healthy elderly women may be helpful to the physical therapist who uses gait characteristics to evaluate a patient's progress. We adhered strictly to the criteria established for subject selection in this study. Matching the young group with the elderly group using leg-length measurements was considered crucial because of the influence of leg length on stride length. 6 The results of our study are in close agreement with the findings of other gait studies involving adult women and those involving adult men. The step- and stride-length measure- ments of the elderly women in our study are similar to values TABLE 2 Comparison of Gait Characteristics Measured from the Side- View Camera Variable Step length (cm) Stride length (cm) Ankle range of motion (°) Velocity (cm/ sec) Vertical center- of-gravity ex- cursion (cm) Elderly Women (n = 13) 66.34 134.92 24.62 131.94 2.87 s 6.77 14.71 4.61 23.85 1.34 Young Women (n = 13) 80.68 162.70 31.31 159.53 3.51 s 5.43 10.84 5.22 16.39 1.77 t a 7.10 b 6.47 b -3.93 b -4.90 b -1.33 published in a study by Murray et al 5 involving 30 women aged 20 to 70 years and in a study by Chao et al 12 involving 37 women aged 32 to 85 years. Finley et al 3 reported shorter step and stride lengths for the young women and elderly women in their study than those of our study. The shorter step and stride lengths of the subjects in the Finley et al study may have represented the effects of cumbersome equipment worn by their subjects during walking. The healthy elderly women in our study demonstrated similar step- and stride- length values to those reported by Sutherland and associates 10 for 15 healthy men aged 19 to 40 years. The young women demonstrated significantly larger values for step length than the elderly women. The values of the young women in our study were similar to the values of 30 healthy men aged 20 to 65 years recorded during free-speed gait by Murray et al. 13 The mean step and stride lengths of the men were 78 cm and 156 cm, respectively. The young women in our study demonstrated a greater walking velocity than the women aged 20 to 36 years in a 1984 study by Murray etal. 14 Our finding of larger means for step and stride lengths for the young women is not surprising because the mean walking velocity of the young group was significantly greater than the TABLE 3 Comparison of Gait Characteristics Measured from the Front- View Camera Variable Lateral center-of- gravity excur- sion (cm) Stride width (cm) Pelvic obliquity (°) Pelvic rotation (°) Tibial rotation (°) Elderly Women (n = 13) 3.03 10.02 6.77 11.77 15.31 s 2.13 3.58 2.05 4.30 7.10 Young Women (n = 13) 2.39 8.31 9.86 11.77 16.69 s 1.50 3.12 2.38 4.44 5.50 t a 0.10 1.58 -3.65 b 0.00 -0.51 a ctf=24. *p<.01. c df=12. a (df=12. b p<.01. a df=12. b p<01. Volume 66 / Number 9, September 1986 1385 by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from mean walking velocity of the elderly group (p < .01). The ambulation rate of the elderly women, however, was not abnormally slow. Their mean walking speed of 131.9 ± 23.9 cm/sec was similar to values obtained by Murray et al 5 involving women aged 20 to 70 years whose mean free-speed velocity was 130.0 ±15.0 cm/sec. The mean walking velocity of the elderly women also was similar to values obtained in a study by Sutherland et al involving men aged 19 to 40 years whose mean walking velocity was 121.6 cm/sec. 10 A progressive increase in pelvic obliquity corresponding to increased walking speeds has been reported. 614 Pelvic ob- liquity was greater in the young women, as compared with the elderly women. The pelvic obliquity values of adult men reported in the literature ranged from five to eight degrees, 10 which is similar to the findings of our study. Both groups of women maintained lateral and vertical center-of-gravity excursions within a 5-cm range reported in the literature. 6 Stride widths, however, were extremely varia- ble among both groups. Gabell and Nayak reported similar findings. 4 Young subjects (21-47 years of age) and elderly subjects (66-84 years of age) in their study demonstrated variability within the gait cycle, primarily in stride width. The elderly women demonstrated substantially less move- ment at the ankle during free-speed gait than the young women. In a study by Murray et al that compared the gait patterns of young men and elderly men, the elderly men (60- 65 years of age) also showed a marked reduction of ankle movement during ankle plantar flexion at the end of ipsilat- eral stance. 13 The reason for the decrease in ankle movement is not clear, but it may have resulted from slower gait speeds, as suggested previously. 5 Rotation about the thigh and tibia have been reported in phase with pelvic rotation. The rotary displacement increases progressively from the pelvis to the thigh to the tibia with values of 8 degrees of rotation documented at the pelvis to 19 degrees of rotation measured at the tibia. 15 This progressive increase in rotation from the pelvis to the tibia was demon- strated by both young and elderly subjects in our study, and no significant differences were found between groups. The values obtained in our study were similar to reported ranges for adult women during free-speed gait, 5 but were larger than the values reported for the free-speed gait patterns of men. 610 Because pelvic rotation facilitates forward movement of the hip joint of the swinging leg, increased pelvic rotation would be expected during an increased stride length. A significant increase in pelvic rotation was not demonstrated by the young women, however, even though they demonstrated a signifi- cantly larger stride length when compared with the elderly women. This finding may be attributed to individual variation in the interaction between stride length, walking velocity, and pelvic rotation. 4 Despite significant differences among several gait charac- teristics of both the young and elderly women, the elderly women demonstrated values of step length, stride length, walking velocity, pelvic rotation, and tibial rotation that were similar to or exceeded those values of healthy young men and women in other studies. These findings suggest that both the young women and the elderly women from our study walk faster today than their counterparts of 15 to 20 years ago. The differences in the results of our study and those of previous studies may have been caused by differences in subject selection and measuring techniques. Subject cooper- ation and ability to follow directions may have influenced the results. Because we used a small subject sample, a true random sampling of the age groups may not have been represented. Some subjects may have had an undiagnosed or unrecognized pathological condition that affected their gait, despite our adherence to the guidelines established for subject selection. Clinical Implications The results of our study suggest that the clinician should not expect the same gait training rehabilitation potential for both young women and elderly women because differences exist between the gait characteristics of healthy young women and healthy elderly women. The degree to which a patholog- ical condition may further affect the rehabilitation expecta- tions of both groups during gait training is beyond the scope of this study. Based on the results of our study, the clinician may expect an elderly woman to ambulate with a smaller step and stride length, a slower walking speed, less pelvic obliquity, and less ankle movement than a younger woman with a similar leg length. No differences between the young and elderly women would be expected in center-of-gravity excursion, pelvic and tibial rotation, or stride width. Physical therapists are involved in the gait training of geriatric patients. Because of the frequency with which they treat elderly women, clinicians must know the effects of age on gait to understand the potential of gait training rehabili- tation for this patient group. Further study in this area is needed before definitive state- ments can be made about the effects of aging. Care must be taken when applying the results of this study to other popu- lations. Further research could focus on the comparison of additional gait characteristics such as hip motion, hip rotation, angling of the feet, and upper extremity movement of young women and elderly women. CONCLUSIONS For the sample of subjects we examined, the following conclusions can be made: 1. The young women and the elderly women did not dem- onstrate significant differences in vertical center-of-gravity excursion, lateral center-of-gravity excursion, stride width, pelvic rotation, or tibial rotation. 2. The young women demonstrated significantly larger values than those of the elderly women in step length, stride length, ankle range of motion, pelvic obliquity, and walk- ing velocity. 3. The values of the gait characteristics of both the young women and the elderly women in this study were larger than those of their counterparts of 15 years ago. Despite these apparent changes, the effects of aging were observed in these gait characteristics: step length, stride length, ankle range of motion, pelvic obliquity, and walking velocity. 1386 PHYSICAL THERAPY by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from RESEARCH REFERENCES 1. Fisher M, Birren J: Age and strength. J Appl Physiol 31:490-497, 1947 2. Berry G, Fisher R, Lang S: Detrimental incidents, including falls, in the elderly institutional population. J Am Geriatr Soc 29:322-324, 1981 3. Finley F, Cody F, Finizie R: Locomotive patterns in elderly women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 50:140-146, 1969 4. Gabell A, Nayak V: The effect of age on variability in gait. J Gerontol 39:662-666, 1984 5. Murray M, Kory R, Sepic S: Walking patterns of normal women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 51:637-650, 1970 6. Inman V, Ralston H, Todd R: Human Walking. Baltimore, MD, Williams & Wilkins, 1981 7. Subotnick S: The short leg syndrome. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 66:720- 723, 1976 8. Jackson A, Pollock M, Ward A: Generalized equations for predicting body density of women. Med Sci Sports Exerc 12:175-182, 1980 9. Sutherland D, Hagy J: Measurement of gait movements from motion picture film. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 54:787-797, 1972 10. Sutherland D, Olsen R, Cooper L, et al: The development of mature gait. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 62:336-353, 1980 11. Nutter J, Blanke D, Wang T: Microcomputers aid movement analysis. Collegiate Microcomputer 3:1-11, 1985 12. Chao E, Laughman R, Schneider E, et al: Normative data of knee joint motion and ground reaction forces in adult level walking. J Biomech 16:219-232 1983 13. Murray M, Drought A, Kory R: Walking patterns of normal men. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 46:335-360, 1964 14. Murray M, Mollinger L, Gardiner G, et al: Kinematic and EMG patterns during slow, free, and fast walking. J Orthop Res 2:272-280, 1984 15. Levens A, Inman V, Blosser J: Transverse rotations of the segments of the lower extremity in locomotion. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 30:859, 1948 Volume 66 / Number 9, September 1986 1387 by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from 1986; 66:1382-1387.PHYS THER. Patricia A Hageman and Daniel J Blanke Women Comparison of Gait of Young Women and Elderly Cited by http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/66/9/1382#otherarticles articles: This article has been cited by 13 HighWire-hosted Information Subscription http://ptjournal.apta.org/subscriptions/ Permissions and Reprints http://ptjournal.apta.org/site/misc/terms.xhtml Information for Authors http://ptjournal.apta.org/site/misc/ifora.xhtml by guest on December 24, 2012http://ptjournal.apta.org/Downloaded from . from Comparison of Gait of Young Women and Elderly Women PATRICIA A. HAGEMAN and DANIEL J. BLANKE The purpose of our study was to describe and compare. better understand- ing of the gait characteristics of young women and elderly women. Whether physical therapists should expect elderly women to have