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Updated: Oct 17, 2025
Home-Based Monitor for Gait and Activity Analysis
Published on: August 8, 2019
Gait Parameters in Healthy Preschool and School Children Assessed Using Wireless Inertial Sensor
Ewa Gieysztor1, Mateusz Kowal1, Małgorzata Paprocka-Borowicz1
1Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland.
Insights
This study establishes typical gait parameters for children using wireless inertial sensors. Age influences gait, with older children exhibiting distinct support and swing phases, offering a baseline for atypical gait analysis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Biomechanics
- Gait Analysis
Background:
- Objective gait assessment in children is increasingly important.
- Establishing baseline parameters for typical gait is crucial for comparison.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate typical gait parameters in healthy preschool and school-aged children.
- To use wireless inertial sensors as a reference for atypical gait analysis.
- To compare gait parameters between younger and older children.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated gait parameters of 161 children using a G-Walk BTS G-SENSOR smart analyzer.
- Children walked barefoot at self-selected speeds on a walkway.
- Gait data was collected during a back-and-forth walking trial.
Main Results:
- Age significantly impacts spatiotemporal gait parameters, with support and swing phases changing with age.
- Older children demonstrated shorter double support and longer single support times.
- Pelvic tilt symmetry increased with age, and girls showed more symmetrical pelvic obliquity than boys.
Conclusions:
- The study provides reference parameters for typical children's gait.
- These findings can aid in identifying atypical gait patterns in cases of trauma or disability.
Background:
The objective gait assessment in children has become more popular. Basis parameters for comparison during the examination are advisable.
Objectives:
The study aim was to investigate the typical gait parameters of healthy preschool and school children, using a wireless inertial sensor as the reference for atypical gait. The additional aim was to compare the specific gait parameters in the younger and older group of children.
Methods:
One hundred and sixty-one children's gait parameters were evaluated by a G-Walk BTS G-SENSOR smart analyzer. The children were walking barefoot, at a self-selected speed, on a five-meter walkway, and they turned around and go back twice.
Results:
Age significantly influences most of the spatiotemporal parameters. The support phase becomes shorter with age. Accordingly, the swing phase becomes longer with age. The results also show that older children need shorter double support and have longer single support. Moreover, the pelvic tilt symmetry index is higher with increasing age. In each age division, the smallest variation in all gait parameters within the oldest group of examined children was observed. A comparison between the left and right side gait parameters shows the higher difference in boys than in girls. A significant difference was calculated in the pelvic obliquity symmetry index. Girls had significantly more symmetrical obliquity than boys.
Conclusions:
the research indicates the basic parameters of typical children's gait, which may be a reference to atypical gait in the case of trauma or disability.
