Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Cowgill, LW; Warrener, A; Pontzer, H; Ocobock, C
Published in: American journal of physical anthropology
September 2010

Femoral shape changes during the course of human growth, transitioning from a subcircular tube to a teardrop-shaped diaphysis with a posterior pilaster. Differences between immature and mature bipedalism and body shape may generate different loads, which, in turn, may influence femoral modeling and remodeling during the course of the human lifespan. This study uses two different approaches to evaluate the hypotheses that differences in gait between young and mature walkers result in differences in ground reaction forces (GRFs) and that the differences in loading regimes between young children and adults will be reflected in the geometric structure of the midshaft femur. The results of this analysis indicate that GRFs differ between young walkers and adults in that normalized mediolateral (ML) forces are significantly higher in younger age groups. In addition, these differences between children and adults in the relative level of ML bending force are reflected in changes in femoral geometry during growth. During the earlier stages of human development, immature femoral diaphyses are heavily reinforced in approximately ML plane. The differences in gait between mature and immature walkers, and hence the differences in femoral shape, are likely partially a product of a minimal bicondylar angle and relatively broad body in young children.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

American journal of physical anthropology

DOI

EISSN

1096-8644

ISSN

0002-9483

Publication Date

September 2010

Volume

143

Issue

1

Start / End Page

52 / 61

Related Subject Headings

  • Walking
  • Somatotypes
  • Regression Analysis
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Gait
  • Femur
  • Computational Biology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Child
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Cowgill, L. W., Warrener, A., Pontzer, H., & Ocobock, C. (2010). Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 143(1), 52–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21289
Cowgill, Libby W., Anna Warrener, Herman Pontzer, and Cara Ocobock. “Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait.American Journal of Physical Anthropology 143, no. 1 (September 2010): 52–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21289.
Cowgill LW, Warrener A, Pontzer H, Ocobock C. Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait. American journal of physical anthropology. 2010 Sep;143(1):52–61.
Cowgill, Libby W., et al. “Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait.American Journal of Physical Anthropology, vol. 143, no. 1, Sept. 2010, pp. 52–61. Epmc, doi:10.1002/ajpa.21289.
Cowgill LW, Warrener A, Pontzer H, Ocobock C. Waddling and toddling: the biomechanical effects of an immature gait. American journal of physical anthropology. 2010 Sep;143(1):52–61.
Journal cover image

Published In

American journal of physical anthropology

DOI

EISSN

1096-8644

ISSN

0002-9483

Publication Date

September 2010

Volume

143

Issue

1

Start / End Page

52 / 61

Related Subject Headings

  • Walking
  • Somatotypes
  • Regression Analysis
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • Gait
  • Femur
  • Computational Biology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Child