Background: There is currently no standardized protocol for the measurement of gait speed in older adults, particularly regarding the choice between static versus dynamic start.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of removing the initial phase on gait speed measurement and compare the correlation of different measurement methods with other physical performance metrics.
Design: A cross-sectional study.
Setting: A geriatric clinic in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea.
Participants: Adults aged 65 years or older who underwent physical performance examinations during comprehensive geriatric assessments (n = 511).
Measurements: A one-dimensional light detection and ranging device was used to obtain real-time gait signal data and measure the participants' gait speed. Descriptive statistics were obtained for the acceleration phase. Various lengths of the initial phase were removed to determine the point at which gait speed plateaued. Correlations between four-meter gait speeds, with different initial phase lengths, and chair stand and balance test results were examined.
Results: The mean ± standard deviation of the acceleration phase (m) was 0.92 ± 0.51. The removal of various initial phase lengths showed that 2 m gait speed based on dynamic start (0.5 m) significantly differed from static start (0.7 m/s versus 1.05 m/s, p<0.001). Gait speed showed an increase with the removal of longer initial phases but plateaued after removing 1 meter. This change lacked clinical significance after removing 0.5 meters. Dynamic start gait speed exhibited superior discriminative ability in chair stand and balance tests compared to static start gait speed.
Conclusion: Static start underestimates gait speed, while dynamic start aligns better with other physical performance results. An acceleration phase of 0.5 to 1 meter appears sufficient, but further studies are needed to optimize gait measurement methods.
Keywords: Gait speed; acceleration phase; light detection and ranging; physical performance.