Adaptability of leg movements during normal treadmill walking and split-belt walking in children

The present study addresses the question whether the coordination of leg movements during locomotion in children is similar to the coordinative patterns observed in adults. To this purpose, the spatio-temporal adaptation of leg movements to increases in walking speed and differences in left and right belt speeds was studied in 73 healthy children aged 4 to 10 years. The results of children in different age groups were compared with data of 10 healthy adults in similar conditions. A dimensional analysis of the adaptation of leg movements in children and adults suggests that physical rather than neuro-developmental maturation is the cause of age-related differences in spatio-temporal data. The main differences with adult walking patterns can be summarised as a higher intra- and inter-subject variability of spatio-temporal parameters in children. Differences in postural control may be the cause of this higher variability in children. It is concluded that despite the latter differences, the interlimb coordination and the adaptability of walking in children older than four is similar to that of adults.