Examination of balance ability evaluated by a stipulated tempo step test

This study is aimed at examining the correlation between age and gait time using a Single-leg forward step (SFS) test. Two groups consisting of sixty healthy elderly women (age 71.4 ± 6.4 years) and twenty young women (age 20.2 ± 0.9 years) performed the step test. The test subjects put one leg forward and returned it to its original position while matching varying metronome tempos (40 bpm, 60 bpm, and 120 bpm) for 10 s. As an evaluation parameter, the time difference between the metronome sound and the time when the subject's foot hits the ground was used. A significant time difference was found only in the group of elderly women. The time differences were greater in the 40 bpm and 120 bpm step tests than in the 60 bpm step test. The time variances showed significantly low correlations with gait time (r = 0.33–0.42). Since the SFS test purposefully produces balance instability via shifts in one's center of gravity through forward and backward movements, the elderly with inferior balancing ability as well as a diminished ability to walk might have difficulty succeeding in this test. In conclusion, the SFS test is deemed effective in evaluating elderly subjects’ balancing ability.