Article

This study investigated the basic spatio-temporal gait measures of 898 primary
school-aged children (5-13 years) and 82 young adults
(18-27 years). Participants
completed 6-8 walks at preferred speed along a GAITRite walkway whilst barefoot
and whilst wearing athletic shoes or runners. Outcome measures (non-normalized
and normalized) were gait speed, cadence, step and stride length, support base,
single and double support, stance duration, foot angle and associated symmetry
measures. Non-normalized measures of speed, step and stride length, support base
and foot angle increased with age whereas cadence reduced. Normalized measures
remained unchanged with age in children whereas the young adults (both
conditions) exhibited a 2.3% reduction in single support, a 5.1% increase in
double support and a 2.6% increase in stance duration (p<0.0001). For the entire
sample, shoes increased walking speed by 8 cm s(-1), step length by 5.5 cm,
stride length by 11.1 cm and base of support by 0.5 cm. In contrast, foot angle
and cadence reduced by 0.1 degrees and 3.9 steps min(-1) respectively. Shoes
increased both double support (1.6%) and stance time (0.8%), whereas single
support reduced by 0.8%. Symmetry remained unaffected by age. On average,
measures of step and stride symmetry (combining both conditions) fell around 0.7
cm, whereas measures of symmetry for step and stance time, single and double
support fell around 0.6%. Footwear significantly affected gait (p<0.0001). Gait
may not be mature by age 13. Gait is symmetrical in healthy children and young
adults but may change with pathology.

Langue : ANGLAIS