Trunk inclination and hip extension mobility, but not thoracic kyphosis angle, are related to 3D-accelerometry based gait alterations and increased fall-risk in older persons

•Thoracic kyphosis angle was not related to parameters of gait and/or fall-risk.•Higher sacral & trunk inclination relates to worse gait and physical performance.•Lower hip extension relates to worse gait & physical performance in the elderly.•Elderly with increased fall-risk have worst scores on spinal posture & mobility.•Trunk inclination & hip extension mobility might be targets for fall-risk reduction. Only a portion of the increased variability in gait parameters observed in ageing can be explained by age and gait speed alone. Other factors, like musculoskeletal changes of the spine, might contribute to higher variability of gait parameters, slower walking speed and subsequently increased fall-risk in ageing. Are spinal posture and mobility related to 3D-accelerometry based gait analysis, functional performance and fall-risk in ageing? Forty elderly presenting increased fall-risk (OFR, 80.6 ± 5.4yrs), 41 old controls (OC, 79.1 ± 4.9yrs), and 40 young controls (YC, 21.6 ± 1.4yrs) were assessed for spinal posture and mobility (SpinalMouse®), gait analysis (DynaPort MiniMod), and functional performance (grip strength, grip work, timed-get-up-and-go-test, performance-oriented mobility assessment). Compared to OC, OFR showed significantly (p