OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the movement pattern of knee and ankle during stance phase in order to analyze the behavior of these parameters during gait maturation process. METHODS: Subjects without neuro-muscular diseases and with complete documentation at gait laboratory were included. Kinematics data were collected during self-selected speed in the children group (n =34) with mean age of 9.7 + 2.7 years and in the adult group (n =17) with mean age 25 + 3.8 years. The variables analyzed were 1) Knee flexion at initial contact 2) First peak knee flexion in stance 3) Minimum knee flexion in stance and 4) Peak of ankle dorsiflexion in stance. RESULTS: The results were compared and underwent statistical analysis. The children group showed higher knee flexion in stance than the adult group; however, dorsiflexion peak in stance did not present statically significant differences between groups. CONCLUSION: In the studied group, knee flexion during stance phase was different between children (mean age 9.7 years) and adults (mean age 25 years), which suggests that gait maturation process can last until the second decade of life.
Gait; Child; Biomechanics
