Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Aging Clinical and Experimental Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01286-4 REVIEW Methodological tools used for tripping gait analysis of elderly and prosthetic limb users: a systematic review Raisa Rossignaud 1  · Ana C. P. Oliveira 1  · Jerusa P. R. Lara 1  · John J. V. Mayor 1  · André L. F. Rodacki 1 Received: 29 March 2019 / Accepted: 19 July 2019 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 Abstract Background Tripping during walking is known to be the predominant cause of falls in elderly and prosthetic limb users. To standardise measurements and analysis of trips, it is critical to summarise the methods used in laboratory-controlled trials. Aim The aim of this study was to reach a clearer standardisation measurement and analysis of trips during elderly and pros- thetic gait through a systematic review. Methods Studies that assessed elderly and prosthetic tripping gait characteristics were included in this review. The search resulted in an initial yield of 2493 unique articles after duplicates were removed (PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct). Title analysis resulted in 1697 articles excluded and 659 articles were assessed for further eligibility on the basis of the abstract. 174 articles were excluded based on a full-text appraisal. The fnal yield was 21 unique articles that met all the inclusion criteria. Results The fndings revealed a number of inconsistencies among the studies, namely ambiguity in relation to gait speed, diferences in overground and treadmill locomotion. Subsequently, diferent experimental setups such as trip inducement strategies may infuence the collected data, and thus have implications for study outcomes. Conclusion A gold standard should be set to have better standardised results, thus creating a more robust and holistic approach towards the rehabilitation of prosthetic gait and in the elderly. Keywords Tripping · Stumbling · Gait · Detection · Elderly · Prosthetic limb users Introduction Tripping during walking is known to be the predominant cause of falls in elderly and prosthetic limb users [1]. A trip or a stumble is defned as when an external force unexpect- edly interrupts the progress of the swing foot during locomo- tion causing forward rotation of the body [2]. Falls due to trips have been found to be a major cause of fractures in the elderly population. Hip fractures are associ- ated with signifcant morbidity, mortality and loss of inde- pendence, and are also a signifcant fnancial burden [3]. The same applies to transfemoral amputees who are also challenged in the recovery of a trip. An estimated 50% of amputee fallers reported that falls negatively afected their daily activities [4]. In this view, it is unclear how prosthesis users respond to trip recovery. That being said, to ensure correct data are collected, it is crucial that adequate tripping and stumble detection methodologies are utilised. Trip inducement during laboratory interventions has been identifed by three basic methodologies: an obstacle being manually or automatically actuated [5] to halt the progres- sion of the foot through the mid-swing phase; tether-based perturbations [6] consisting of a tether or rope being attached to the participants’ ankles (left, right or both) becoming taut during swing; and a treadmill-based method consisting of a sudden acceleration and deceleration through gait [7]. Through the use of an obstacle trip inducement method, Lawson et al. [8] collected trip data on ten able-bodied par- ticipants using accelerometers afxed to the participants in a manner consistent with similar instrumentation on a transfemoral prosthesis. However, perturbations were always delivered at the same point of the step cycle, hence par- ticipants were able to anticipate the efect of perturbations * Raisa Rossignaud raisarossignaud@gmail.com 1 Laboratory of Biomechanics, Motor Behavior Studies Center, Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Parana, Rua Coração de Maria, 92, Jardim Botanico, Curitiba, PR, Brazil