Treadmill walking in old age may not reproduce the real life situation.
OBJECTIVE
In a preliminary study in our laboratory, healthy elderly people had a higher heart rate during treadmill walking than during corridor walking at the same speed. The objective of this study was to determine whether this initial observation, (1) persisted after repeated testing, (2) was present in younger adults, (3) was due to wearing a mouthpiece during treadmill walking, or (4) was due to a change in gait.


METHODS
A study of elderly and young volunteers undergoing repeated testing, with comparison of treadmill walking with corridor walking.


METHODS
The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine.


METHODS
Twelve healthy elderly (71-80 years) and 12 healthy young (21-37 years) volunteers.


METHODS
Heart rate (beats/min) and step rate (steps/min) during comfortable self-paced corridor walking and during treadmill walking at the same speed.


RESULTS
The elderly subjects had higher heart rates during treadmill walking than during corridor walking at the same speed (mean difference = 6 beats/min, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1 to 10). This difference increased (to a mean of 11 beats/min, 95% CI = 5 to 16) when a mouthpiece was worn on the treadmill. These differences persisted after repeated testing. The young subjects did not have higher heart rates on the treadmill, (with or without the mouthpiece). In both groups, step rate was lower (95% CI = -9 to -2, elderly; -5 to -2, young) during treadmill walking, corresponding to a 3% increase in stride length.


CONCLUSIONS
The heart rate response to treadmill walking in healthy elderly people may be less representative of the "real life" situation than in younger adults.
Greig
C
C
Human Performance Laboratory, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Butler
F
F
Skelton
D
D
Mahmud
S
S
Young
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks / Q000009:adverse effects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*