The goal of much orthopaedic treatment of children is to improve their
walking. To document the quantitative characteristics of walking, we
devised graphic displays of speed, cadence, stride length, and body height
on the basis of 2,416 observations of 324 children walking over a range of
speeds. The gait graph is an uncomplicated tool for the clinician to use in
the documentation and evaluation of gait in children. It also provides the
means to relate the walking abilities of patients to the standards for
normal children.