title: Effects of pediatric obesity on joint kinematics and kinetics during 2 walking cadences.
abstract: Shultz SP, Sitler MR, Tierney RT, Hillstrom HJ, Song J. Effects of pediatric obesity on joint kinematics and kinetics during 2 walking cadences.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether differences existed in lower-extremity joint biomechanics during self-selected walking cadence (SW) and fast walking cadence (FW) in overweight- and normal-weight children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Institutional gait study center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N=20; mean age +/- SD, 10.4+/-1.6y) from referred and volunteer samples were classified based on body mass index percentiles and stratified by age and sex. Exclusion criteria were a history of diabetes, neuromuscular disorder, or recent lower-extremity injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sagittal, frontal, and transverse plane angular displacements (degrees) and peak moments (newton meters) at the hip, knee, and ankle joints.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of significance was set at P less than .008. Compared with normal-weight children, overweight children had greater absolute peak joint moments at the hip (flexor, extensor, abductor, external rotator), the knee (flexor, extensor, abductor, adductor, internal rotator), and the ankle (plantarflexor, inverter, external/internal rotators). After including body weight as a covariate, overweight children had greater peak ankle dorsiflexor moments than normal-weight children. No kinematic differences existed between groups. Greater peak hip extensor moments and less peak ankle inverter moments occurred during FW than SW. There was greater angular displacement during hip flexion as well as less angular displacement at the hip (extension, abduction), knee (flexion, extension), and ankle (plantarflexion, inversion) during FW than SW.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overweight children experienced increased joint moments, which can have long-term orthopedic implications and suggest a need for more nonweight-bearing activities within exercise prescription. The percent of increase in joint moments from SW to FW was not different for overweight and normal-weight children. These findings can be used in developing an exercise prescription that must involve weight-bearing activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Shultz
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sitler
authors.forename: Ryan T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Tierney
authors.forename: Howard J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hillstrom
authors.forename: Jinsup
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007700:Kinetics; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*