Background

Arm movements during gait are known to alter with increasing age during the slow maturation phase (>3years). It is unclear whether coordination between the arms and legs (i.e. interlimb coordination), which is a measure of gait quality, shows a similar pattern.

Research Question

to investigate age-related differences in interlimb coordination during gait in typically developing children and adults.

Methods

In this observational study, 98 typically developing participants were divided into five age-groups: preschool children (G1; 2.9–5.9 years[n = 18]), children (G2; 6.0–9.9 years[n = 22]), pubertal children (G3; 10.0–13.9 years[n = 26]), adolescents (G4; 14.0–18.9 years[n = 14]) and adults (G5; 19.0–35.2 years[n = 18]). Participants walked barefoot at a self-selected walking speed along a 10-m walkway during three-dimensional total-body gait analysis. To examine interlimb coordination, mean continuous relative phase over the gait cycle (MRP) and its variability (sdMRP) were calculated for each combination of limb pairs in the sagittal plane.

Results

MRP increased towards more anti-phase coordination with increasing age in following limb pair combinations: left arm-right arm (median[interquartile range]; G1: 152.0°[126.6;160.7°]-G5: 171.5°[170.0;175.3°]), left arm-left leg (G1: 155.0°[131.3;167.6°]-G5: 170.8°[165.3;173.5°]) and right arm-right leg (G1: 155.7°[135.5;166.0°]-G5: 170.0°[166.4;173.5°]). MRP decreased towards more in-phase coordination from G1 to G5 in left arm-right leg (G1: 24.4°[15.3;45.8°]-G5: 10.5°[6.1;15.6°]) and right arm-left leg (G1: 25.0°[13.7;41.1°]-G5: 9.7°[5.2;16.8°]). sdMRP decreased from G1 to G5 for all limb pair combinations.

Significance

Interlimb coordination altered with increasing age. First, coordination between the legs and right arm-left leg appeared mature in G1 (aged 2.9−5.9 years). Next, coordination between the ipsilateral limbs seemed mature at 9.9 years, followed by a mature coordination between left arm-right leg at 13.9years. Coordination between the two arms showed ongoing differences until adulthood. These data provide an age-related framework and normative dataset to distinguish age-related differences from pathology in children with neuromotor disorders in clinical practice.

中文翻译：

---

步态间步态协调中与年龄相关的差异：一项观察性研究。

背景

在步态缓慢的阶段（> 3年），步态中的手臂运动会随着年龄的增长而变化。尚不清楚手臂和腿之间的协调性（即，肢体协调性）是否是步态质量的量度，是否显示出类似的模式。

研究问题

调查典型发育中的儿童和成人步态间步态协调中与年龄相关的差异。

方法

在这项观察性研究中，将98名典型的发展中参与者分为五个年龄组：学龄前儿童（G1； 2.9-5.9岁[n = 18]），儿童（G2； 6.0-9.9岁[n = 22]），青春期儿童（G3； 10.0–13.9岁[n = 26]），青少年（G4； 14.0–18.9岁[n = 14]）和成人（G5； 19.0–35.2岁[n = 18]）。在进行三维全身步态分析时，参与者以自行选择的步行速度沿着10米的人行道赤脚行走。为了检查肢体协调性，计算了矢状面中每对肢体组合在步态周期（MRP）上的平均连续相对相位及其变异性（sdMRP）。

结果

在以下肢体对组合中，MRP随着年龄的增长而朝着更反相的方向发展：左臂-右臂（中位[四分位间距]； G1：152.0°[126.6; 160.7°] -G 5：171.5°[170.0; 175.3° ]），左臂-左腿（G1：155.0°[131.3; 167.6°] -G 5：170.8°[165.3; 173.5°]）和右臂-右腿（G1：155.7°[135.5; 166.0°]- G 5：170.0°[166.4; 173.5°]。左臂-右腿（G1：24.4°[15.3; 45.8°] -G 5：10.5°[6.1; 15.6°]）和右臂-左腿（G1）的MRP向G1到G5的更多同相协调性降低：25.0°[13.7; 41.1°] -G 5：9.7°[5.2; 16.8°]）。所有肢体对组合的sdMRP从G1降低到G5。

意义

跨肢协调随着年龄的增长而改变。首先，在G1（年龄2.9-5.9岁）中，腿和右臂-左腿之间的协调似乎已经成熟。接下来，同侧肢体之间的协调在9.9年时似乎已经成熟，然后左臂与右腿之间的协调在13.9年时已经成熟。在成年之前，两个部门之间的协调显示出持续的差异。这些数据提供了年龄相关的框架和规范性数据集，以在临床实践中区分神经运动障碍儿童的年龄相关差异与病理。