Effects of foot–ground friction and age-related gait changes on falls during walking: a computational study using a neuromusculoskeletal model

We used a neuromusculoskeletal model of bipedal walking to examine the effects of foot-ground friction conditions and gait patterns on slip- and trip-induced falls. We developed three two-dimensional neuro-musculoskeletal models in a self-organized manner representing young adults, elderly non-fallers, and elderly fallers. We simulated walking under different foot-ground friction conditions. The static friction coefficient between the foot and the ground was varied from 0.05 to 2.0. Under low friction conditions, the three gait models demonstrated slip-induced falls. The elderly faller model experienced the most slip. This is because the RCOF was higher in the elderly faller model due to its short stride length but much smaller foot clearance. Under high friction conditions, only the elderly faller model demonstrated trip-induced falls. Based on the analysis using the margin of stability, the forward postural stability of the model gradually decreased under high-friction conditions, with the toe of the swing foot contacting the ground and subsequently falling forward. These results imply that there is an optimal coefficient of friction for the ground to prevent slip- and trip-induced falls by people with less stable gaits, which may provide new insights into the design of shoes and floor surfaces for the elderly.