Walking Patterns in Down's Syndrome

Cinematographic analysis techniques were used to evaluate the walking patterns of 10 5-year-old Down's syndrome (DS) children (trisomy 21). Comparison with similar analyses of non-handicapped children revealed a wide developmental variability in the walking of DS children and retardation in some temporal components. The DS children adopted a more flexed posture of the hip and knee joints, and increased fluctuation of ankle movement during the walking cycle. The data suggest a wide continuum of locomotor development which may be a function of the degree of impairment of associated neuromuscular mechanisms.