Vertical peak ground force in human infant crawling

Quadrupedalism is a common mode of locomotion in land animals. The load distribution between the forelimbs (FL) and hindlimbs (HL) in quadrupedalism has been of great interest to researchers, and a database of the vertical peak force (Vpk) for FL and HL has been created for various species. However, Vpk in human infant crawling, a natural form of human quadrupedalism, has not been evaluated. We aimed to study Vpk in human infant crawling. Eight healthy infants who used a typical crawling style (i.e., crawling on the hands and knees) were included. The infants were encouraged to crawl over pressure mats placed on the floor, and Vpk of FL and HL were calculated. FL Vpk was 0.631±0.087 (per BW), and HL Vpk was 0.638±0.089 (per BW). No significant difference was observed between FL and HL Vpk. The mean FL/HL Vpk ratio was -0.011 on a natural logarithmic scale. These data could be added to the current database on Vpk for quadrupedalism.