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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds
Published on: August 25, 2020
The effect of walking speed on the gait of typically developing children
Michael H Schwartz1, Adam Rozumalski, Joyce P Trost
1Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, St Paul, MN 55101, USA. schwa021@umn.edu
Insights
This study analyzed how walking speed affects gait in children. Researchers found significant changes in kinematics, kinetics, and EMG signals across various speeds, providing valuable reference data.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Pediatric Gait Analysis
- Movement Science
Background:
- Gait studies often exclude speeds outside the typical comfortable range.
- A comprehensive dataset across a wide range of walking speeds is needed for children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a centralized repository of detailed gait data for typically developing children.
- To examine the influence of walking speed on various gait parameters in children aged 4-17.
Main Methods:
- Collected 3D lower extremity joint kinematics, kinetics, surface electromyography (EMG), and spatio-temporal data.
- Recruited 83 typically developing children (ages 4-17).
- Assessed walking speeds from very slow to very fast, relative to self-selected comfortable speed.
Main Results:
- Walking speed significantly impacts kinematic parameters across sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes.
- Kinetic data (ground reaction forces, moments, power), normalized EMG, and spatio-temporal parameters are also significantly affected by speed.
- Demonstrated both linear and nonlinear relationships between speed and various gait measures.
Conclusions:
- Walking speed is a critical factor influencing multiple gait parameters in children.
- The collected data serves as a valuable reference for biomechanical and clinical gait research.
- This comprehensive dataset can aid in understanding typical pediatric gait development and identifying deviations.
Abstract:
Many gait studies include subjects walking well below or above typical self-selected comfortable (free) speed. For this reason, a descriptive study examining the effect of walking speed on gait was conducted. The purpose of the study was to create a single-source, readily accessible repository of comprehensive gait data for a large group of children walking at a wide variety of speeds. Three-dimensional lower extremity joint kinematics, joint kinetics, surface electromyographic (EMG), and spatio-temporal data were collected on 83 typically developing children (ages 4-17) walking at speeds ranging from very slow (>3 standard deviations below mean free speed) to very fast (>3 standard deviations above mean free speed). The resulting data show that speed has a significant influence on many measures of interest, such as kinematic parameters in the sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes. The same was true for kinetic data (ground reaction force, moment, and power), normalized EMG signals, and spatio-temporal parameters. Examples of parameters with linear and various nonlinear speed dependencies are provided. The data from this study, including an extensive electronic addendum, can be used as a reference for both basic biomechanical and clinical gait studies.
