Repeatability of temporospatial gait measures in children using the GAITRite electronic walkway.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the repeatability of selected temporal and spatial gait parameters in healthy children using the GAITRite electronic walkway.
DESIGN: Immediate test-retest design.
SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 57 subjects (age range, 1.3-10.9 y) participated. Subjects were stratified into 3 age groups (1.0 to <4.0 years old, 4.0 to <8.0 years old, 8.0 to <11.0 years old).
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects completed 2 barefooted test walks at preferred gait speed. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC(1,1)) values, 95% confidence intervals, the Bland-Altman limits of agreement, and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated.
RESULTS: Overall, ICC values ranged from .05 to .93. The amount of clinically relevant error (CV) was acceptable for all gait variables across age groups with the exception of the toe-in/out variables (CV, 46.7%-92.9%) and the heel-to-heel base of support variable (CV, 18.6%-31.5%).
CONCLUSIONS: Repeatability of GAITRite measurements to assess temporospatial gait parameters in typically developing children walking at self-selected paces ranged from poor to excellent. Our repeatability data for child subjects between the ages of 1.3 to 10.9 years are comparable to adult data for the same temporospatial gait parameters. We believe that the GAITRite electronic walkway is an emerging clinical tool for assessment of gait in children with and without disabilities.