Risk factors concerning the falls of the elderly have been reported in detail. Their falls occur more frequently during locomotion. Until now, a gait analysis during the fallinduced condition has not been sufficiently studied. This study aimed to analyze gait during the fall-induced condition using a foot plate sensor. In experiment 1, thirty young adults without vision-impairment walked on courses with three obstacles (height: 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2m, width; 0.1m), at an interval of 1.5m in conditions with/without visual limitation. In the visual limitation condition, the visual acuity of the subjects was decreased uniformly by 0.01 by the goggles worn. The visual limitation prolonged one-leg support phase during gait. It may have been caused by the difficulty in accurate perception of an obstacle's height. A decrease of visual function increases the possibility of stumbling over even a slight bump. In experiment 2, thirteen elderly women who can walk independently participated. They conducted a 5m normal walk and a 5m one line walk (balance beam walk). No significant differences in any gait variable were found between both walk conditions. The relationships among gait parameters, functional balance scale, and fall risk scale were higher in the balance beam walk than in the normal walk. An individual difference of a step width in the balance beam walk may reflect the ambulatory ability of the elderly.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.28/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE