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Published on: September 1, 2023
Gait parameters associated with balance in healthy 2- to 4-year-old children
Keegan Guffey1, Michael Regier2, Corrie Mancinelli3
1Department of Pediatrics, Child Neurology, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 9214, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506, United States.
Insights
Gait and balance in children are key for tracking development and rehabilitation. Age-related gait characteristics, like step length and cadence, significantly predict balance, suggesting new tech for assessing therapeutic progress.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric rehabilitation
- Motor development
- Biomechanical analysis
Background:
- Validated gait and balance measurements are essential for assessing children's functional status and therapeutic intervention effectiveness.
- Childhood gait patterns evolve with motor development, necessitating frequent monitoring for progress tracking.
- Understanding the gait-balance relationship can guide clinical decisions and treatment adjustments in pediatric rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between spatiotemporal gait parameters and balance in young children.
- To identify key gait characteristics that predict balance performance in children aged 2.0-4.9 years.
- To explore the potential for developing novel gait-based technologies for functional assessment in pediatric rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- 84 children (2.0-4.9 years) participated, with gait assessed using the GAITRite(®) walkway for spatiotemporal parameters.
- Balance was evaluated using the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS).
- Principal components analysis and multiple regression models were employed to analyze the relationship between gait parameters and balance scores.
Main Results:
- While trends in gait parameters (e.g., decreased cadence, increased step length with age) were observed, normalized spatiotemporal parameters did not significantly differ between age groups.
- Gait parameters including age, leg length, cadence, step/stride length, step/stance time, and single/double support time significantly correlated with Pediatric Balance Scale scores.
- Age-related gait components were the strongest predictors, explaining 51% of the variance in balance scores when combined with spatial and temporal gait characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Balance in young children may be effectively assessed through specific spatial, temporal, and age-related gait characteristics like step length and cadence.
- These findings support the development of new gait measurement technologies for functional assessment and monitoring rehabilitation progress in children.
- Further research is needed to determine if this model can be applied to monitor treatment efficacy in children with gait abnormalities.
Abstract:
The use of validated measurements of gait and balance are crucial to establish baseline function and assess effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Gait in children changes with motor development requiring frequent observations to effectively track progress. Standardized baseline spatiotemporal measurements and a greater understanding of the relationship between gait and balance would provide important feedback to clinicians regarding the effectiveness of rehabilitation and guide treatment modifications. 84 subjects (2.0-4.9 years) walked along the GAITRite(®), a walkway that records spatiotemporal parameters. The Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) was administered to assess balance. Comparison of spatiotemporal parameter means between age groups showed trends associated with motor development similar to the ones described in the literature such as decreased cadence and increased step/stride length with increasing age. However, no significant differences in normalized spatiotemporal parameters were found between age groups. Age, leg length, cadence, step/stride length, step/stance time, and single/double support time showed significant correlation with balance scores. When the parameters were grouped into spatial, temporal, and age-related components using principal components analysis and included in a multiple regression model, they significantly predicted 51% of the balance score variance. Age-related components most strongly predicted balance outcomes. We suggest that balance can potentially be evaluated by assessment of spatial, temporal, and age-related characteristics of gait such as step length, cadence, and leg length. This suggests the possibility of developing new gait measurement technology that could provide functional assessment and track improvements during rehabilitation regimens. If the same model can be applied to monitor treatment efficacy in children with gait abnormalities remains to be addressed.
