Abstract
Gait analysis of a child is becoming more and more significant as observation of posture of a stripped child may generate false positives as the incumbent becomes conscious and assumes an abnormal posture. On the other hand, observing gait of an undressed child walking or running a number of steps may give clues to underlying musculoskeletal or neurological disorders. In this work, results of a study on a sample of 7-10-year-old students (68 boys; 65 girls), enrolled in a local school representing middle-classeducated families, are presented. The students were followed up from KG to class 3 (2011-2013). Heights and weights were obtained every year and a detailed gait examination was performed in classes 2 and 3, with the students completely disrobed except short underpants. A detailed Growth-and-Obesity Profile was generated for each child to determine the nutritional-status category (undernutrition, over-nutrition, energy-channelization I-III), in which the child should be placed. The probability of spastic gait was found to be highest in children exhibiting energy-channelization II (stunting combined with obesity), i. e., 32.00%, seconded by those manifesting energy-channelization I (tallness combined with wasting), i. e., 21.43%. Over-nourished (tallness combined with obesity) children had 10.00% probability of having spastic gait, whereas under-nourished (stunting combined with wasting) children had 8.82% probability. Acutely malnourished children (both height and mass percentiles falling below 3) had 14.29% probability. A possible explanation of these results may be on the basis of asymmetric distribution of mass about the sagittal plane, which may create a torque responsible for spastic gait in such children.
