Development of energy and time parameters in the walking of healthy human infants

Sixteen infants were analyzed longitudinally from the onset of independent walking to 3 years of age using time parameters, speed and energy recovery. Considerable variation and irregularities were observed in many parameters of infant walking, especially until 13 months of age when infants had difficulty in walking steadily step by step. Infant walking until 3 years of age was characterized by a small braking duration, caused mainly by the forward inclination of the trunk, a large relative stance phase duration, which maintained static balance, short stride length, due to the small range of the lower limb joint angle, and a small recovery of external energy. These characteristics were also predominantly evident until 13 months of age. The small recovery characteristic of infants was caused by flexed lower limb joints, pronounced irregularities in energy output, and in younger infants, slow speed. The maximum recovery up until 2 years of age, though smaller than in adults, appeared at about 0.45 dimensionless speed, which is about the same speed that adults in particular naturally and at which their maximum recovery appeared. The forward inclination of the trunk and the lower limb joint angle, influenced the development of many characteristics of bipedal walking. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.