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[Development of gait in childhood: a systematic gait analysis]
Y Nakae1, K Kumagai, M Kurihara
1Department of Pediatrics, Kanagawa Rehabilitation Center, Atsugi, Kanagawa.
Insights
Childhood gait analysis reveals key developmental changes between ages two and six. Locomotion becomes more efficient as children develop better balance and stronger foot muscles, with lower limb movement patterns maturing early.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric orthopedics
- Developmental biomechanics
- Human motor control
Context:
- Normal gait development in children is crucial for understanding motor milestones.
- Previous research has identified general patterns, but detailed quantitative analysis across early childhood is less common.
- Systematic gait analysis provides objective data on kinematic and kinetic changes.
Purpose:
- To systematically analyze and quantify normal gait development in children aged two to six years.
- To identify age-related changes in gait parameters.
- To understand the maturation of lower limb movement patterns during early childhood.
Summary:
- A systematic gait analysis was conducted on 37 typically developing children (20 boys, 17 girls) aged 2-6 years.
- Significant age-related changes were observed: gait cycle, single support phase, stride length to height ratio, foot plantiflexor angles, and propelling force increased.
- Conversely, gait width to stride length ratio and foot dorsiflexor angles decreased, while knee-flexion waves and heel-strikes were consistent.
- Improved balance and plantar flexor strength contribute to more efficient locomotion, with lower limb gait patterns maturing within the first three years.
Impact:
- Provides normative data for typical gait development in early childhood.
- Offers insights into the biomechanical underpinnings of improving balance and locomotion efficiency.
- Establishes a baseline for identifying potential gait abnormalities in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
To study the normal gait development in childhood, we performed a systematic gait analysis on 37 normal children (20 boys and 17 girls) aged between two and six years. The gait cycle, single support phase, ratio of stride length to body height, plantiflexor angles of the feet and propelling force increased with age, whereas the ratio of gait width to stride length and dorsiflexor angles of the feet decreased. The knee-flexion waves, heel-strikes were found in all subjects. From two to six years of age, balance-holding ability and feet plantiflexor forces developed, resulting in more efficient locomotion. The pattern of the lower limb movements on gait is considered to mature during the first three years of life.