Analysis of kinematic parameters of gait in Brazilian children using a low-cost procedure

• Authors: Daniel das Virgens Chagas , Gustavo Leporace , Jomilto Praxedes , Igor Carvalho , Sérgio Pinto , Luiz Alberto Batista
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Purpose. The aim of the study was to describe the gait kinematic behaviour of healthy Brazilian children aged 6-11 years old and examine the influence of age and gender on the analysed kinematic characteristics. Methods. A descriptive study that investigated the gait of 119 children (60 boys and 59 girls) aged 6-11 years was conducted. Data were stratified according to age (6-7 years, 8-9 years, 10-11 years) and gender and its impact over spatiotemporal gait parameters was assessed. An inexpensive yet satisfactorily valid and objective motion capture system was employed to compute gait parameters. Results. Non-normalised and normalised averages of stride length, step length, cadence and velocity from 119 participants were 1.23 ± 0.17 m and 1.8 ± 0.2, 0.63 ± 0.11 m and 0.9 ± 0.1 m, 117.9 ± 11.4 steps/min and 311.9 ± 23.9 steps/min, 72.5 ± 11.1 m/min and 27.9 ± 4.5 m/min, respectively. Stance and swing means (%GC) were 58.1% ± 3.3% and 41.9% ± 3.3%, respectively. Step and stride length increased with advancing age, while cadence decreased. A significant difference (p = 0.005) was found between Group 2 (8-9 years) and 3 (10-11 years) for normalised velocity. No significant differences between groups were found for other non-dimensional variables. Comparisons between boys and girls showed no differences (p > 0.05) in any spatiotemporal gait parameters. Conclusions. The gait kinematic behaviour of 119 Brazilian children was described using a low-cost instrumented gait analysis system. Gender was not a significant modifying factor for gait among the examined children. Our findings suggest a partially immature gait kinematic pattern in children aged between 6 to 11 years. Additional studies are needed to examine whether the differences between our results and those reported in the literature are due to issues of internal or external validity.

Keywords

EN

gait patterns; children; biomechanics; motor development; low-cost analysis

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Human Movement
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 340-346

Dates

published

1 - 12 - 2013

online

14 - 02 - 2014

Contributors

author

Daniel das Virgens Chagas

• State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

author

Gustavo Leporace

• Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

author

Jomilto Praxedes

• State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

author

Igor Carvalho

• State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

author

Sérgio Pinto

• State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

author

Luiz Alberto Batista

• State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/humo-2013-0041