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Published on: August 23, 2017
Exploring effects of different treadmill interventions on walking onset and gait patterns in infants with Down
Jianhua Wu1, Julia Looper, Beverly D Ulrich
1Motor Development Laboratory, Center for Motor Behaviour and Pediatric Disabilities, Division of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Insights
Higher-intensity treadmill training for infants with Down syndrome (DS) promotes earlier walking onset and improved gait patterns, specifically increasing stride length. This intervention offers a promising approach for early motor development in infants with DS.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Control
- Genetics
Background:
- Infants with Down syndrome (DS) often experience delays in motor development, including walking onset and gait maturation.
- Treadmill training is a potential intervention to address these developmental challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of different treadmill intervention intensities on walking onset and gait patterns in infants with Down syndrome (DS).
Main Methods:
- Two cohorts of 30 infants with DS were randomly assigned to either a lower-intensity-generalized (LG) or higher-intensity-individualized (HI) treadmill training group.
- A control group (C) from another study, without treadmill training, was used for comparison.
- Gait parameters including velocity, stride length, step width, stride time, stance time, and dynamic base were analyzed at walking onset and during a follow-up period.
Main Results:
- The higher-intensity-individualized (HI) group achieved walking onset significantly earlier (19.2 months) compared to the control (C) group (23.9 months).
- At follow-up, significant differences in overall gait patterns were observed among the HI, LG, and C groups (p=0.037).
- Post-hoc analysis revealed that stride length was the primary contributor to these gait differences, with the HI group exhibiting significantly longer stride lengths than the C group (p=0.030).
Conclusions:
- Higher-intensity individualized treadmill intervention significantly promotes earlier walking onset in infants with Down syndrome.
- This intervention also elicits more advanced gait patterns, particularly in stride length, compared to lower-intensity or no training.
- Treadmill training, especially at higher intensities, represents a valuable therapeutic strategy for enhancing motor development in infants with DS.
Abstract:
Two cohorts of participants were included to investigate the effects of different treadmill interventions on walking onset and gait patterns in infants with Down syndrome (DS). The first cohort included 30 infants with DS (17 males, 13 females; mean age 10 mo [SD 1.9 mo]) who were randomly assigned to either a lower-intensity-generalized (LG) training group, or a higher-intensity-individualized (HI) training group. A control (C) group from another study, who did not receive treadmill training, served as the control (eight males, seven females; mean age 10.4 mo [SD 2.2 mo]). Mean age at walking onset was 19.2, 21.4, and 23.9 months for the HI, LG, and C groups respectively. At walking onset the HI group was significantly younger than the C group (p=0.011). At the gait follow-up that was conducted between 1 and 3 months after walking onset, three groups significantly different in overall gait patterns (p=0.037) were examined by six basic gait parameters including average velocity, stride length, step width, stride time, stance time, and dynamic base. Post-hoc analyses demonstrated that stride length was the gait parameter largely contributing to this overall group difference (p=0.033), and the HI group produced a significantly longer stride length than the C group (p=0.030). In conclusion, the HI treadmill intervention significantly promoted earlier walking onset and elicited more advanced gait patterns (particularly in stride length) in infants with DS.
