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Maturation of gait dynamics: stride-to-stride variability and its temporal organization in children
J M Hausdorff1, L Zemany, C Peng
1Margret H. A. Rey Laboratory for Nonlinear Dynamics in Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston 02215, Massachusetts, USA. jhausdor@bidmc.harvard.edu
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric motor development
- Biomechanics of locomotion
- Neuroscience of motor control
Background:
- Young children exhibit immature posture and gait control, leading to unsteady walking.
- While gait appears relatively mature by age 3, the developmental trajectory of walking dynamics beyond this age remains unclear.
- Stride dynamics are intrinsically linked to neural control mechanisms, suggesting ongoing motor development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the neural control of gait continues to develop beyond age 3.
- To quantify age-related changes in stride dynamics and temporal gait organization in healthy children.
- To determine the age at which mature walking dynamics are established.
Main Methods:
- Stride-to-stride gait cycle duration was measured in 50 healthy children aged 3 to 14 years.
- Stride-to-stride variability was analyzed to assess gait stability.
- Temporal organization of gait was examined for age-dependent modifications.
Main Results:
- Stride-to-stride variability was significantly higher in 3-4 year olds compared to 6-7 year olds, and in 6-7 year olds compared to 11-14 year olds.
- Significant age-dependent changes were observed in the temporal organization of gait.
- These age effects on gait dynamics remained significant even after accounting for variations in height.
Conclusions:
- Mature stride dynamics may not be fully developed even in 7-year-old children.
- Different components of stride dynamics mature at distinct developmental stages.
- Motor control for walking continues to evolve throughout childhood, extending beyond the age of 3.
Abstract:
In very young children, immature control of posture and gait results in unsteady locomotion. In children of approximately 3 yr of age, gait appears relatively mature; however, it is unknown whether the dynamics of walking change beyond this age. Because stride dynamics depend on neural control, we hypothesized that motor control would continue to develop beyond age 3. To test this hypothesis, we measured the gait cycle duration on a stride-by-stride basis in 50 healthy 3- to 14-yr-old children (25 girls). Measurements of stride-to-stride variability were significantly larger both in the 3- and 4-yr-old children, compared with the 6- and 7-yr-old children, and in the 6- and 7-yr-old children, compared with the 11- to 14-yr-old children. Measurements of the temporal organization of gait also revealed significant age-dependent changes. The effects of age persisted even after adjusting for height. These findings indicate that mature stride dynamics may not be completely developed even in healthy 7-yr-old children and that different aspects of stride dynamics mature at different ages.