Biomedical Engineering (BME) 3 Practice Test

Cadence is a basic gait parameter used to assess mobility. It measures how many steps a person takes per unit of time, usually steps per minute. This captures walking rhythm and has a direct impact on overall mobility—someone with a lower cadence generally walks more slowly and may indicate balance issues, pain, or weakness, while a higher cadence often accompanies better endurance or faster walking. Clinically, cadence is easy to measure by counting steps for a short period or using wearable sensors, and it complements gait speed and step length, since gait speed is basically cadence multiplied by step length. The other options aren’t gait parameters: heart rate reflects cardiovascular effort, blood glucose describes metabolic status, and lung capacity describes respiratory function.