Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Reliability of gait parameters in children under two years of age
Pascual Marques-Bruna1, Paul Grimshaw
1School of Sciences and Sport, Edge Hill College, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England, UK. Marquesp@edgehill.ac.uk
Insights
This study found reliable within-day gait patterns in young children but unique individual gaits. Longitudinal analysis revealed significant monthly changes in gait kinematics during early walking development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Biomechanics
- Developmental Motor Control
Background:
- Establishing reliable gait parameters in young children is crucial for clinical assessment, yet normative data is scarce.
- Previous research primarily focused on older children and adults, leaving a gap in understanding early walking development.
- Three-dimensional (3D) video analysis offers a precise method for quantifying gait kinematics.
Observation:
- Nine typically developing children (10-21 months) underwent cross-sectional 3D gait analysis to assess within-day reliability.
- A single child was monitored monthly for 8 months from independent walking onset to track gait development.
- Ten kinematic variables indicative of walking efficiency were measured.
Findings:
- All children demonstrated reliable within-day gait kinematics, supporting the consistency of measurements.
- Significant between-subject variability in gait patterns was observed, highlighting individual differences.
- The longitudinal case study revealed significant month-to-month changes in gait kinematics during the initial 8 months of autonomous walking.
Implications:
- The findings provide valuable pilot data for longitudinal studies on early gait development in children.
- This research offers potential normative data for pediatricians and child neurologists in clinical gait assessments.
- Understanding individual gait variability and developmental changes is key for early identification of potential motor disorders.
Abstract:
The walking movement of children of school age and adults can be regarded as very consistent. However, few studies have reported reliability of gait parameters in very young children that may be used as normative data for the clinical assessment of gait. In the present study, nine normal children of ages 10 to 21 mo. were assessed cross-sectionally using three-dimensional video analysis and digitization to assess within-day reliability of gait kinematics. Between-subject differences in gait kinematics were also examined. In addition, one child was assessed at the onset of independent walking and at monthly intervals thereafter to assess changes in gait kinematics during the first 8 mo. of autonomous walking. The case study allowed the acquisition of pilot data for longitudinal studies of this age group. 10 kinematics variables regarded as indicators of efficient walking were measured, and reliability was assessed using one-way analysis of variance and coefficient of variation. The study showed that all children produced reliable within-day results; however, the gait of each child was unique. In the case study, the between-month differences in gait kinematics were significant. The findings may be of clinical interest for pediatricians and child neurologists given the lack of normative data for this age group.
