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Updated: Apr 8, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
The effect of school trolley load on spatiotemporal gait parameters of children
E Orantes-Gonzalez1, J Heredia-Jimenez1, V M Soto-Hermoso1
1Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Granada, Crta de Alfacar s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Objective:
The present study evaluated spatiotemporal gait parameters in children when they were carrying school trolleys of different weights.
Methods:
We assessed four conditions: without trolley, 10%, 15% and 20% of the subject's body weight. Fourteen students from a primary school (aged 11.43±0.51 years) participated in this study. Velocity, cadence, stride length, stance phase, swing phase, single support phase and double support phase were analysed using an electronic walkway.
Results:
Compared with normal walking, the three load conditions produced significant decreases in swing phase (p<0.001) and single support phase (p<0.001) and significant increases in cadence (p=0.019), stance phase (p<0.001) and double support phase (p<0.001). No statistically-significant differences were found between the three load conditions.
Conclusion:
Compared with normal walking, walking while carrying a trolley produced significant changes in most of the spatiotemporal gait parameters measured, perhaps due to the load-mediated changes in stability and balance. The spatiotemporal gait parameters were similar between the load conditions, indicating that the amount of load did not affect gait.
