Caractéristiques de la marche avec et sans l’envie pressante d’uriner chez la femme âgée chuteuse avec ou sans incontinence.
Aims: The fall rate in urinary incontinent (UI) older women is higher when compared that with continent women. One hypothesis is that a strong desire to void (SDV) could alter gait parameters and therefore increase the risk of falls. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effect of SDV on gait parameters in incontinent and continent older women who experienced falls. The secondary aim was to determine the relationship between UI severity and gait parameters in incontinent women. Methods: A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted with two groups of healthy community-dwelling women who experienced at least one fall in the last year: continent (n=17; age: 74.1 ± 4.3) and urgency UI and mixed UI women (n=15; age: 73.5 ± 5.9). We recorded, analyzed and compared spatiotemporal gait parameters for participants in each group with both SDV and no desire to void condition. Results: Reduced velocity (p=0.05) and stride width (p=0.02) were observed in both groups with SDV. An increased incontinence severity was correlated with reduced velocity (rs=-0.56, p=0.03) and increased stride length variability (rs=0.54, p=0.04) in SDV condition. An increased incontinence severity was correlated with reduced velocity (rs=-0.63, p=0.01), increased stance time (rs=0.65, p=0.01) and stance time variability (rs=0.65, p=0.01) in no desire to void condition.  Conclusions: SDV alter gait parameters regardless of continence status. Further, UI severity was correlated to gait parameters that constitute a risk of falling.
Older women Urgency Urinary incontinence Falls Patiotemporal gait parameters Community-­‐dwelling Bladder sensation