Objective To study the differences in dynamic stability characteristics between older and young adults during continuous turning and walking in different directions.Methods Fifteen healthy older adults and 15 healthy young adults were recruited to complete continuous clockwise and counterclockwise figure-of-8 walk.A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to collect kinematic data based on 43 bone markers.The gait and velocity of the center of mass parameters were determined using V3D software.The margins of stability in both the anterior and medial direction at characteristic moments were calculated.Results Compared with clockwise turning,the step width of the inner leg increased and the anterior margin of stability of the inner leg at the toe-off instant decreased during counterclockwise turning in young adults.Meanwhile,there were no significant differences in the above parameters for older adults.Conclusions Both the age and turning direction affected the forward dynamic stability of the inner leg at the toe-off instant.Healthy older adults adopted more cautious strategies to maintain anterior and medial stability during continuous walking.It is recommended that older adults should increase turning training in daily life to improve their medial-lateral control capability and confidence in turning.

Objective To study the differences in dynamic stability characteristics between older and young adults during continuous turning and walking in different directions.Methods Fifteen healthy older adults and 15 healthy young adults were recruited to complete continuous clockwise and counterclockwise figure-of-8 walk.A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to collect kinematic data based on 43 bone markers.The gait and velocity of the center of mass parameters were determined using V3D software.The margins of stability in both the anterior and medial direction at characteristic moments were calculated.Results Compared with clockwise turning,the step width of the inner leg increased and the anterior margin of stability of the inner leg at the toe-off instant decreased during counterclockwise turning in young adults.Meanwhile,there were no significant differences in the above parameters for older adults.Conclusions Both the age and turning direction affected the forward dynamic stability of the inner leg at the toe-off instant.Healthy older adults adopted more cautious strategies to maintain anterior and medial stability during continuous walking.It is recommended that older adults should increase turning training in daily life to improve their medial-lateral control capability and confidence in turning.