Age-related kinetic changes in normal pediatrics.

Kinetic data have become an important adjunct to kinematic and electromyography data in the interpretation of gait data and in the clinical decision making for children with pathologic gait patterns. A normative database is essential for comparison with the patterns of walking in children with gait abnormalities. Gait analyses of 23 able-bodied children (ages 4-10 years) were compared with those of five able-bodied adults. The patterns and amplitudes of the normal able-bodied children's kinetics showed five significant differences from those of the adults: (a) diminished hip-abduction moment, (b) diminished plantar-flexion moment, (c) diminished A2 power generation, (d) diminished knee-extensor moment, and (e) pattern of knee-power data. The data indicated a progression toward the adult normals because differences were more significant in the youngest group (4- to 5-year-olds) than in the older groups (6- to 7- and 8- to 10-year-olds).