Head turning while walking may challenge stability by altering visual and vestibular information. Whether there are age-related changes that affect gait stability while head turning during walking remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to compare gait stability between younger and older adults immediately following a head turn while walking. Ten younger [mean (SD)] [23.4 (3.3) years] and ten older [68.8 (6.0) years] healthy adults walked on a treadmill at their preferred gait velocity and performed head turns by responding to a visual cue. The margin of stability (MoS) in the mediolateral (MoS_ML), anterior (MoS_A) and posterior (MoS_P) directions, foot placement (mean step length and width) and rotation of the head, trunk and pelvis were calculated for the four steps immediately following a cue to head turn and compared to walking only. Older adults increased their MoS_ML and younger adults increased their MoS_P immediately following a head turn. However, older adults had a significantly greater MoS_P than younger adults during this time. Older adults also had greater pelvic rotation velocity and a trend towards smaller head-on-trunk rotation compared to younger adults. Age does not compromise the stability of healthy older compared to younger adults immediately following or when completing a head turn. However, older adults may use a different motor strategy to perform a head turn to limit isolated movement of the head and the effects of a changing sensory frame of reference.

走路时转动头部可能会通过改变视觉和前庭信息来挑战稳定性。行走过程中头部转弯时是否存在与年龄有关的变化会影响步态稳定性尚不清楚。当前研究的目的是比较步行时转头后年轻人和老年人的步态稳定性。健康的十个年轻[平均（SD）] [23.4（3.3）岁]和十个较大的[68.8（6.0）岁]健康成年人以他们喜欢的步态速度在跑步机上行走，并通过响应视觉提示进行转弯。内侧（MoS _ML），前侧（MoS _A）和后侧（MoS _P）的稳定裕度（MoS））在提示头转弯后立即针对四个步骤计算方向，脚的放置（平均步长和宽度）以及头部，躯干和骨盆的旋转，并将其与仅步行进行比较。老年人增加了他们的MoS _ML和年轻的成年人增加了他们的MoS _P立即转头以下。但是，老年人的MoS _P明显更高这段时间比年轻人少。与年轻人相比，老年人的骨盆旋转速度也更高，并且头朝头的旋转趋势更小。与刚转头或刚转头的年轻人相比，年龄不会损害健康的老年人的稳定性。但是，老年人可能会使用不同的运动策略来执行头转弯操作，以限制头部的孤立运动和感官参照系的变化。