Balance and gait in the elderly: A contemporary review

The prevalence of balance and gait deficits increases with age and is associated with the increased incidence of falls seen in the elderly population; these falls are associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

To review changes in gait and balance associated with aging and the effect of visual perturbations on gait and balance in the elderly to provide a basis for future research.

PubMed and Cochrane Library were searched for articles from 1980 to present pertaining to gait and balance in older adults (>60) and younger adults (