Walking is achieved through a mixture of carefully coordinated reflex and voluntary movements, many of which have to be learned. A newborn baby will exhibit a walking reflex when its feet touch the ground, but this is gradually lost at about the age of six weeks, the child will have ___(3) sufficient bone and muscle strength to support itself, and soon after ____(4) first birthday will have achieved enough muscular control and coordination to attain a strong, independent walk.
It is known that the information received from the eyes and the organs of balance in the ears is important for walking. ____(5) the control nervous system plays a more ____(6) role in coordinating muscle movements. Reflex movements – including balance—are coordinated through the spinal cord, thalamus, medulla and cerebellum, while the voluntary movements that ___(7) where we want to go and at what speed are ___(8) within the motor areas of the cerebral cortex. From here, message in the form of neutral impulses are ____ (9) to the various muscles which will be divided in the ____(10)
A number of conditions can ____ (11) the ability to walk, including genetic ____(12), drugs, and brain disease. Damaged muscles or bones can ____(13) affect walking. In many these ____(14), the ability to walk may be impaired for life, but the body permitting, walking is a ____(15) that can be re-learned.