Influence of low bone mineral density on risk of falls and gait in post-menopausal women and elderly: A systematic review

Background: Low bone mineral density (LBMD) significantly contributes to loss of independence, gait impairment, and increased fall risk. Instrumental gait analysis provides an accurate evaluation of walking ability, that represent the first step for a personalized rehabilitation. Objective: To collect and describe the available literature on the effect of LBMD on walking characteristics and the use of motion analysis systems in patients with LBMD. Methods: We performed a literature search of the last ten years on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus of papers on older people and patients with LBMD in terms of gait parameters, balance, and fall risk. The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024590090). Results: The database search identified totally 756 records; after duplicates deletion, 13 were considered eligible. The results reported that subjects with LBMD had kinematic alterations of the walk, alterations of posture, speed of walking and the strength generated in the gait. Patients with osteoporosis show a reduction of gait speed and trunk asymmetry; moreover, there is a a decrease in body rotation and lower hip and ankle moments in post-menopausal women. Conclusions: Patients with LBMD showed gait alterations that can higher the risk of falls. In this context, gait analysis can be useful in detecting variations in pattern, symmetry, gait speed and posture in elderly patients, that can represent an essential step for a personalized rehabilitation program.