Gait speed as a vital sign

Pop quiz! What’s a simple measurement you can do on your own that provides a powerful reflection of your overall health? You might guess vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, respiratory rate, or oxygen saturation. Yes, these are all key indicators of how your body is functioning. But what if I told you there’s another measurement that can reveal just as much — if not more — about your general health? You don’t need any needles, fancy machines, or even any special skills. All it takes is a stopwatch and a premeasured area to track gait speed, or how fast you walk.

Gait speed, or walking speed, is a simple measure of how quickly you can walk a short distance (usually 4 meters, or about 13 feet). Research shows that this small test can predict a surprising number of health outcomes, including risk of falling, risk of hospitalization, functional decline, cognitive decline, how well you recover after surgery and even mortality risk. A 2011 study in JAMA analyzed data from 34,000 adults aged 65-plus and determined that a slower gait speed was associated with a higher risk of death while a faster gait speed was associated with a higher survival rate.

Gait speed is such a powerful metric because it reflects the overall function of multiple systems in the body, including muscle strength and coordination, endurance and aerobic capacity, balance, reaction time and cognition and spatial awareness (vestibular system). If one of these systems is lacking, then your walking speed may slow down. Gait speed can be an early sign that something is wrong, even if you don’t feel any other symptoms.

For most adults, normal walking speed is 1 to 1.4 meters per second (roughly 2.2 to 3.1 miles per hour) and is considered a healthy range. Usually the different parameters of gait speed are as follows:

Faster than 1 m/s = independent, good health

Slower than 0.8 m/s = at higher risk of health problems and falls

Slower than 0.6 m/s = may need assistance walking and with daily tasks

As a physical therapist, I see how closely gait speed relates to a person’s independence, confidence and quality of life. If someone is walking more slowly than usual, it may mean they are struggling with weakness, pain or fatigue. By addressing each aspect of gait speed and the actual gait speed itself, we can make a big difference in someone’s quality of life. Improving gait speed, even just a little, can lead to major improvements in mobility, safety and daily functioning. This can make the difference between someone feeling left out and being able to keep up with their grandchildren and family during an outing.

You can improve your gait speed by making small changes in lifestyle. First, walk more often! Aim for short, brisk walks throughout the day. My rule of thumb is to walk 10 min for every hour you sit. Set a timer if you are watching television, and get up every hour. Sitting for long periods causes muscles to get weak.

Second, make sure that you strength train. During each decade after our 40s, we lose a percentage of muscle mass naturally. Sedentary lifestyle and inactivity can compound those effects over time. Focus on legs, hips and core to improve your gait speed.

Next, practice balance. Just like strength, balance can be improved over time. Stand with your feet together — or even on one foot. Practice walking like you are on a balance beam or with your eyes closed.

Make sure you stay mentally engaged by challenging your brain with puzzles, reading or cognitive tasks.

Finally, see a physical therapist if you feel unsteady, slow or have pain. A PT can help to identify the root cause and create a personalized plan.

Gait speed is more than just a number — it’s a reflection of your body’s overall performance. It’s quick, easy to test and incredibly informative. So next time you’re wondering how you’re doing health-wise, don’t just check your pulse — check your pace. And if you notice that you’re walking more slowly than you used to, don’t ignore it. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist. After all, your walk could be telling you something important. PJC

Jessica Neiss owns To Life! Therapy & Wellness which offers PT, OT and speech for older adults and people with neurological disorders. She has been a physical therapist for 23 years.