[Development of gait in children--characteristics of gait in children from the viewpoint of ground reaction force].
Walking patterns of fifty-seven normal children were studied using large-sized force plates and compared with those of normal adults. In the vertical component of the ground reaction force, the peak of the deceleration phase was higher than that of the acceleration phase in younger children. In the sagittal component, the peak of the deceleration phase was higher than that of the acceleration phase, particularly in younger children. The point of change from the deceleration phase to the acceleration phase appeared earlier than that of adults. The lateral component in younger children was relatively larger than that of the older children and adults. The period of change from the child walking pattern to the adult walking pattern in each component was as follows:--In the sagittal component it was about five years of age, in the vertical component at about six years of age and in the lateral component at about nine years of age.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male