Background: Overly cautious gait is common in older adults. This is characterised by
excessively slow gait, shortened steps, broadened base of support, and increased double limb
support. The current study sought to (1) evaluate if overly cautious gait is associated with
attempts to consciously process walking movements, and (2) ...
Background: Overly cautious gait is common in older adults. This is characterised by
excessively slow gait, shortened steps, broadened base of support, and increased double limb
support. The current study sought to (1) evaluate if overly cautious gait is associated with
attempts to consciously process walking movements, and (2) explore whether a walker’s
ability to rapidly inhibit a dominant motor response serves to mitigate this relationship.
Methods: Fifty older adults walked at a self-selected pace on an instrumented walkway
containing two raised wooden obstacles (height = 23cm). Trait conscious movement
processing was measured with the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale. Short-latency
inhibitory function was assessed using a validated electronic go/no-go ruler catch protocol.
We used linear regressions to explore the relationship between these variables and gait
parameters indicative of overly cautious gait.
Results: When controlling for general cognitive function (MoCA), and functional balance
(Berg Balance Scale), the interaction between trait conscious movement processing and
short-latency inhibition capacity significantly predicted gait velocity, step length, and double
limb support. Specifically, older adults with higher trait conscious movement processing and
poorer inhibition were more likely to exhibit gait characteristics indicative of cautious gait
(i.e., reduced velocity, shorter step lengths and increased double limb support). Neither
conscious movement processing nor inhibition independently predicted gait performance.
Conclusion: The combination of excessive movement processing tendencies and poor shortlatency inhibitory capacity was associated with dysfunctional or “overly cautious” gait. It is
therefore plausible that improvement in either factor may lead to improved gait and reduced
fall risk.