Designing Computerized Gait Analysis for Pediatric Care: Clinician Perspectives on Sensing, Workflow, and Care Environments

2026-07-07

AI Summary

This study addresses the limitations of existing computerized gait analysis systems, which often overlook the unique developmental needs of children—such as sensory sensitivities, changing body proportions, and natural movement patterns in real-world environments. Through qualitative interviews with twelve pediatric clinicians and one system designer, the research identifies critical challenges and requirements in clinical practice. It proposes a child-centered design framework that prioritizes non-invasive sensing modalities accommodating sensory sensitivities, flexible workflow integration, and cross-context data collection strategies spanning diverse settings like schools and playgrounds. The findings offer empirical grounding and innovative design directions for developing more inclusive and adaptive gait analysis systems tailored specifically to pediatric populations.

Abstract

Computerized gait analysis (CGA) serves as an essential diagnostic tool for evaluating neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and neurological disorders in children, from cerebral palsy to muscular dystrophy. By enabling objective and comprehensive gait analysis, CGA supports timely clinical interventions that can significantly improve pediatric mobility outcomes and quality of life. Yet pediatric gait analysis introduces unique design considerations often underexplored in existing CGA research, as children's ongoing development shapes assessment requirements. To understand how CGA technologies can be designed for pediatric care, we conducted a qualitative study with 12 pediatric clinicians and one system designer who routinely work with CGA. Participants identified child-specific challenges including managing heightened sensory sensitivities to wearable devices, accommodating body proportions in sensor placement and calibration, and maintaining patient engagement during data collection. Clinicians also articulated needs for workflow adaptations and expressed interest in extending gait analysis beyond controlled laboratory settings into naturalistic environments such as playgrounds and schools, where children's authentic movement patterns emerge. Drawing from these clinician perspectives, we present design recommendations for pediatric-centered CGA that address sensing modalities suitable for sensory-sensitive children and approaches for capturing gait data across diverse care environments. Our findings contribute to the broader challenge of adapting clinical technologies to meet the distinct needs of pediatric populations.

Problem

• pediatric gait analysis
• sensory sensitivity
• child development
• clinical workflow
• naturalistic environments

Innovation

• pediatric gait analysis
• sensory-sensitive design
• naturalistic environments
• wearable sensing
• clinical workflow adaptation