Recent Australian Study Shows Why Walking Slows with Age
June 15, 2026
New research from Flinders University and the University of Canberra reveals that the aging body gradually sacrifices walking efficiency to prioritize staying upright (Lindsay et al., 2026).
Analyzing data from 107 healthy adults aged 26 to 86, scientists identified precise neurological and muscular shifts that explain why walking speed declines with age. As co-author Associate Professor Maarten Immink notes:
“The nervous system adopts a safety-first approach, compensating for age-related changes by favouring stability over performance.”
Stability Over Speed: The aging nervous system deliberately reprograms gait patterns to prioritize fall prevention over movement velocity or energy conservation.
Brain Adaptation: This neural pivot helps older individuals maintain their balance on varied surfaces, though it drastically alters natural movement mechanics.
Defensive Gait: Dr. Cody Lindsay states, “As we get older, the body starts to favour stability over efficiency. That helps keep us upright, but it also makes walking more of an effort.”
Simultaneous Pulling: To lock the joint, opposing muscles around the ankle contract at the exact same time—a pattern called co-contraction (Lindsay et al., 2026).
The Braking Phenomenon: Dr. Lindsay explains that this protective joint stiffening “is like driving a car with the brakes slightly pressed.”
High Metabolic Cost: Because the muscles work significantly harder without producing necessary forward momentum, older adults expend up to 16% more energy than younger adults to cover the exact same distance.
Loss of Push-Off Power: Natural, age-related deterioration of the calf muscles directly undermines the body’s primary forward propulsion system.
Altered Kinematics: Weakened calves force the nervous system to adapt by shortening stride lengths and lowering overall gait speeds (Lindsay et al., 2026).
Diminished Recovery: This mechanical loss impairs the body’s rapid-reflex ability to safely recover from sudden trips or slips, compounding the risk of a fall.
Beyond Raw Strength: Traditional rehabilitation paradigms must shift from purely building muscle mass to targeting complex coordination and phase-specific muscle timing.
Nervous System Training: Practices like Tai Chi improve overall balance and proprioception, reducing the nervous system’s reliance on rigid ankle stiffening.
Lower-Leg Focus: Consistent exercises like standing calf raises rebuild the vital forward push-off power required to maintain a longer, highly efficient stride.
Lindsay, C., Radcliffe, C. R., & Immink, M. A. (2026). Ageing alters ankle mechanics and muscle co-contraction patterns across the gait cycle. Gait & Posture. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2026.110202
