Dynamical implication of anatomical and mechanical parameters in gait initiation process in children

This study analyses the incidence of anatomical (mass, height, inertia) and mechanical (gravity) parameters on the duration of gait initiation, from a standing posture, in children. Twenty-one children, aged 4, 6 and 8 years, participated in the study. Experimental and theoretical values of the duration of gait initiation are compared. The experimental data are computed from children's gait executed on a force plate. The theoretical data are computed by using an inverted-pendulum model. The results show that (1) duration of gait initiation is independent of gait velocity, as it is in adults; (2) the experimental values are very close to the theoretical values. These findings suggest that children's biomechanical constants are determining factors for initiating movement. It is hypothesized that the capacity to combine and adapt properties of the body with dynamics of the context is acquired through practice of independent walking.