Comparative study: Parameters of gait in Down syndrome versus matched obese and healthy children

Being severely overweight is a distinctive clinical feature of Down syndrome (DS). Down syndrome is a complex multisystem disorder, representing the most common form of genetic obesity. The purpose of this study was to compare the spatiotemporal parameters of gait in genetically obese DS children and non-genetically obese children and compare their results with those obtained in a group of normal-weight control subjects. Fifteen patients with DS, 15 obese matched children and 15 healthy subjects from both sexes represented the sample of this study. Their age ranged from 12 to 14 years. Spatiotemporal gait parameters (total distance, step length, average step cycle, and walking speed) were assessed by using a Biodex Gait Trainer 2™. Obese DS patients walked slower for a short distance, had a shorter step length and a lower cadence compared with both matched non-genetically obese and healthy subjects. Also, non-genetically obese matched children showed spatio-temporal gait parameters significantly different from healthy subjects. Subjects with DS had a gait pattern significantly different from obese children despite that both groups had a similar body mass index (BMI). Gait abnormalities in children with DS may be related to abnormalities in the development of motor skills in childhood, due to precocious obesity. A tailored rehabilitation program in the early childhood of DS patients could prevent gait pattern changes.