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Wobbly Toddlers

April 11, 2002

The immature co-ordination of first-time walkers makes balance difficult. To overcome this problem toddlers adopt a more stable pattern of walking. A pilot study presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Swansea today has recorded this pattern of locomotion which may help in the understanding and treatment of walking disorders in the young.

Ann Hallemans, a PhD student at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, has recorded limb kinematics on a two weekly basis during the first months of walking in a child. Her study suggests that the toddler`s centre of mass oscillates vertically in a similar way to that observed in mature walkers. However, the centre of mass also oscillates laterally in a rather dramatic way. Ms Hallemans thinks that this is because the toddler lacks a mature sense of balance and co-ordination.

The toddler is able to compensate for its lack of balance by walking with its legs spread and its feet rotated outwards. This means that the centre of mass must shift from side to side so that its weight is often carried directly above a limb. This provides a more stable base for walking and may help prevent the child from toppling over. Ms Hallemans now hopes to begin a more comprehensive study in a number of immature walkers in order to build up a picture of exactly how the toddler walks. This will include measures of joint movements and forces, balance and more detailed data on limb kinematics. The study will follow the development of walking in the toddlers for 4 to 5 months.

It is intended that this research will build up a picture of the unique walking style adopted by toddlers. By understanding this it will make the task of identifying and understanding abnormalities easier. "You can`t look at walking disorders in toddlers if you don`t know what the normal pattern is... studies exist but they`re not detailed enough,” says Ms Hallemans.

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