Factors Affecting Minimum Foot Clearance in the Elderly Walking: A Multiple Regression Analysis

Abstract

Because falls among the elderly can cause serious injury leading to a bedridden state, methods to maintain motor function in the elderly and prevent falls are important. Among falls by the elderly are tripping falls, in which the forefoot gets caught on the floor to cause the fall. Minimum foot clearance (MFC), the smallest distance between the floor and the foot during the swing phase of gait, has been given attention as a cause of tripping falls, as elderly people at risk of falling have been reported to have low MFC. No research has been done, however, to examine what geriatric factors determine MFC. In this study, various measurements were taken on muscle strength, joint angles, and other characteristics as factors possibly influencing the height of MFC, a multiple regression analysis was performed with MFC as the dependent variable, and those factors with high degrees of influence were extracted. The results revealed that the height of MFC is highly influenced by strength of the hip flexors and angle of ankle dorsiflexion. The results of this study should be taken into consideration when having elderly people do fall prevention training.