Walking patterns of normal children aged from 4 to 6 years old and young adults in Taiwan

The quantitative gait analysis is becoming an important tool for evaluating the outcome of pathological gait, especially for CP children. The purpose of this study is to establish normative data of children and to find the differences in gait patterns between children and young adults. A kinematic analysis system and two forceplates were used to measure the normal gait patterns of 27 healthy children (4-6 years old) and 7 young adults (male, 22-27 years old). To each subject, 23 reflective markers were attached on specific anatomical positions. All subjects were asked to walk at their self-selected speed on a 10.7 m long, 2.05 m wide walkway. At least 10 trials were collected for each subject. In general, the data obtained can be a reference for describing and comparing children pathological walking patterns.