Do older women with a fall history cross obstacles differently than older women with no fall history?

Purpose. Many falls in older people occur after tripping or slipping, mainly due to unsuccessful vertical clearances or horizontal distances. A first fall may be explained by several factors related to aging and can be a trigger to subsequent falls. It is unclear if a history of fall changes the kinematics of obstacle crossing, increasing the risk of trips. Here, we determined whether older women reporting a fall history showed different spatial-temporal kinematic parameters during obstacle crossing than non-fallers. In addition, we investigated the presence of asymmetries between the preferred and non-preferred lower limb during obstacle crossing in fallers and non-fallers. Methods. This cross-sectional study recruited older women with a history of fall (n = 10) and without falls (n = 10). They had their kinematic parameters evaluated when walking at self-selected speed along an 8-m walkway, crossing an obstacle positioned in the middle of the walkway, with both preferred and non-preferred limb as the lead limb. The groups were compared, and effects of lower limb preference were also determined in both groups. Results. No main effects of group were observed regarding the kinematic variables. An effect of leg preference was found for post-obstacle horizontal distance, which was greater for the preferred limb in both groups. Conclusions. In conclusion, the kinematics of gait with obstacle crossing does not differentiate between older women with or without a history of recent fall.