Changes in foot-function parameters during the first 5 months after the onset of independent walking: a longitudinal follow-up study.

Foot-function parameters (foot-contact patterns, oscillations of the centre of pressure (COP), peak pressures, relative vertical impulses and foot shape indices) were characterized in 10 toddlers at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after the onset of independent walking. Significant changes were found in foot-contact patterns and COP oscillations. Improvements in balance, reflected in the decreased oscillations of the COP, coincided with changes in foot roll-over. These findings suggest that the development of a "heel-to-toe" roll-over pattern after 1 year of walking already starts early after the onset of independent walking. We could not identify any changes in load distribution underneath the plantar surface of the foot, suggesting that maturation of foot loading develops at a slower pace.