My gait is not always perfect; QS data shows me when

Inspired by this press report Apple Watch can detect symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, study reveals | The Independent and the mention of altered gait as a potential early symptom of Alzheimers had me scrolling through my Apple Health App data for the sections “Walking Asymmetry” and “Double Support Time”. The former is a percentage comparing the relative speed of left and right legs and the latter a measure of how much time each foot is placed om the ground when walking.

Generally both these metrics are okay with Asymmetry at 0% and Support Time between 0% and 40% (which are the bounds for normal walking gait). However, on three distinct occasions I found average Asymmetry of between 30% and 50% with a peak of 100%!!! Checking my diary I see a commonality between those occasions; I was walking on muddy park/farm land and badly maintained country footpaths. There are a few occasions prior to that when my Asymmetry was just into double figures with one of them being a visit to a park.

I do not believe that this occasional sudden increase in my asymmetry can be attributed to Alzheimers but it does raise questions of how can I prevent it and why walking in parks and on muddy ground causes it. Late last year (2023) I twisted my left knee badly and required intervention from a physiotherapist including a steroid injection in January of this year (2024). Now I have to go search the STEM literature for ways to adjust my gait to prevent such outrageous numbers in the future.

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I’ve noticed similar issues with my walking metrics when I’m on uneven ground or muddy trails. It’s probably just the terrain messing with your gait rather than something serious. After I twisted my knee last year, I had a lot of trouble with my walk, too. Maybe getting a physio to help tweak your gait or strengthen your legs could help manage those spikes in asymmetry.