Εffects of maturation on walking pattern in early adolescent boys and girls

Normal gait development has been widely investigated due to the importance of locomotion for independent daily living. Understanding gait control and its process is fundamental, especially in critical developmental periods, for effective interventions. However, less is known about longitudinal changes in walking patterns between adolescent boys and girls, who experience an accelerated increase in both height and weight, causing low gross motor coordination. Here, to address this literature gap, we evaluated the effect of maturity and walking speed in Vertical Ground Reaction Forces (VGRF) and time gait parameters, in twenty-three boys (age 12.5 ± 0.29) and twenty-two girls (age 10.5 ± 0.32). They performed normal and fast pace at their self-selected speed, at 18 and 9 months before peak height velocity (PHV) and at PHV. We quantified the magnitudes of the three VGRF: first peak (Fzmax1), second peak (Fzmax2), and valley (Fzmin), along with total contact time (ts), and gait variability in anterior-posterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions. A mixed model of repeated measure analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) revealed significant effects of maturity and walking speed in VGRF, ts, and variability. Girls exhibited a steadier walking pattern than boys, with lower Fzmax1 and ts, since variability decreased values near PHV for both sexes. In summary, gait is a still maturing process in early adolescents, significantly influenced by walking speed. Growth spurt affects in a different way gait patterns of adolescent boys and girls. The data from this study could be used as a reference for educators and trainers, planning adolescent interventions and preventing injuries.