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Gait Characteristics of Children Stepping over Obstacles
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/1860/459
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| Title: | Gait Characteristics of Children Stepping over Obstacles |
| Authors: | Thawinchai, Nuanlaor |
| Keywords: | Gait
Stepping over Obstacles
Children |
| Issue Date: | 10-May-2005 |
| Abstract: | The aims of this study are to: 1) identify gait characteristics of children with
typical development (TD) stepping over obstacles (unobstructed gait, 2-, 8-, and 17-cm
obstacles); and 2) compare the development of stepping over obstacles during walking
between children age 6-8 years and 9-12 years old. The following variables were studied:
(1) movement speed; (2) movement time; (3) foot clearance distance (foot clearance); (4)
foot placement distance before (FP-Before) and after (FP-After) stepping over obstacles;
(5) maximum vertical (max Fz), anterior-posterior, (max Fx), and medial-lateral (max Fy)
ground reaction forces; (6) maximum hip (max HF), knee (max KF), and ankle joints
flexion (max DF); (7) slopes of hip-knee joint angles (slope). Results showed that as
obstacle height increased, children had significantly decreased movement speed and max
Fy, and increased foot clearance, movement time, max Fz, max Fx, max HF, max KF,
max DF, and slope (p<0.05). These results suggest that the obstacle height affected gait
characteristics of children stepping over obstacles. The leading limb also showed
significantly less movement time, FP-After, max Fz, max Fx and max KF, and greater
max DF, movement speed, FP-Before, max HF and slope than the trailing limb. These
results suggest that the leading and trailing limbs have different roles in stepping over the
obstacle. Intralimb coordination of children with TD is adjustable and successfully
modulated foot elevation for safe obstacle crossing. Maturation (age) appears to
influence on temporal spatial measures, ground reaction forces and joint angles of gait during stepping over obstacles. As compared to the older children, the younger children
performed with greater movement speed and FP-Before but less movement time. This
information may be used as a reference to evaluate mechanisms of tripping in children
with both TD and pathological gait stepping over obstacles. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1860/459 |
| Appears in Collections: | Drexel Theses and Dissertations
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