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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
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Sit-to-stand-and-walk from 120% Knee Height: A Novel Approach to Assess Dynamic Postural Control Independent of Lead-limb
Published on: August 30, 2016
Two steps forward and one back: Learning to walk affects infants' sitting posture
Li-Chiou Chen1, Jason S Metcalfe, John J Jeka
1Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2611, USA.
Infant Behavior & Development
|February 13, 2007
Summary
Infants
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Motor control
- Human infant development
Background:
- The development of upright posture is crucial for motor milestones.
- Sitting is an early postural skill that is later influenced by walking.
- Understanding postural development informs our knowledge of sensorimotor integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the transition to walking on sitting posture.
- To determine if postural control in sitting is disrupted by the emergence of walking.
- To explore the sensorimotor re-calibration processes during infant development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of nine infants from sitting onset to 9 months post-walking.
- Postural sway was measured using center of pressure (COP) trajectory in a sitting posture.
- Infants were tested independently and with a hand-touching support condition.
Main Results:
- Postural sway in sitting peaked around the onset of walking, indicating a transient disruption.
- Postural sway measures were significantly higher at the walking transition age compared to other ages.
- Manual contact attenuated postural sway, but only during this critical transition period.
Conclusions:
- The transition to independent walking temporarily disrupts established sitting postural control.
- This disruption suggests a re-calibration of the internal model for sensorimotor control of posture.
- Infant postural development involves adapting existing skills to accommodate new motor behaviors like walking.
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