Development of independent walking and gait stability in infants using inertial sensors

Despite the number of studies that analyzed the development of independent walking in literature, the number of infants included was always small and only few studies performed longitudinal observations. The aim of the present study was to collect longitudinally data from a large group of infants (>20) using inertial sensors over a 6-months period after the onset of independent walking. This database will allow evaluating the changes in gait temporal parameters, stability and coordination at the beginning of independent walking. Moreover, it will permit to observe when and how the development of pendulum mechanism occurs. Since there is not a commonly accepted way to define or quantify locomotor stability, the collected data will permit also to apply and evaluate the stability indexes proposed in literature, looking for the index that better describes infant locomotor stability and its relation to infant risk of falls.