Development of gait in the normal child.

Gait patterns of 230 normal children, 3 to 16 years old, were studied with the aid of footswitches. They walked in three different requested velocities. Velocity, stride length, cadence, and the temporal phases of the stride were recorded along with leg length of the subjects. These gait parameters change with age, and the changes are most pronounced up to 8 to 10 years. Thereafter, only minor changes take place and leg length becomes the dominating factor.