Gait disturbances
Gait disturbances | Gait | Cause Of Gait | Cause | |
1 | Antalgic Gait | pain | ||
2 | Vaulting gait | common in children with limb length discrepancy | pelvic droop, decreased hip, and knee flexion, ankle plantar-flexion | shoe lift or surgery for difference longer than 2 cm; no treatment needed otherwise |
3 | Trendelenburg gait | pelvis drops to the unaffected side. | hip abductor weakness | Treatment: gluteus medius strengthening |
4 | Posterior lurch gait | backward trunk lean with hyperextended hip during the stance phase of the affected limb | hip extensor weakness | Treatment: gluteus maximus strengthening |
5 | Knee buckling – genu recurvatum | posterior capsule locks affected knee joint, hyperextending knee by forwarding trunk leading | knee extensor weakness | Treatment: solid or hinged ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) and quadriceps strengthening |
6 | Steppage gait | unable to heel strike causing initial contact with toes (foot drop) | ankle dorsiflexion weakness | Treatment: hinged or posterior leaf spring AFO and electrical stimulator |
7 | Calcaneal gait | knee flexion movement with excess tibial motion over ankle during mid to late stance | ankle plantar flexor weakness | Treatment: hinged or solid AFO to prevent buckling at knee |
8 | Waddling gait | toe walking (posterior lurch and bilateral Trendelenburg) | proximal muscle weakness | Treatment: low-resistant strength training, aerobic exercise |
9 | Scissor gait (Crouched gait) | Cerebral palsy | prolonged neonatal hypoxia, Brain injury during birth | Treatment: supportive care |
10 | Ataxic gait | broad-based, unsteady | cerebellar syndrome (alcohol, phenytoin, stroke, tumor, degenerative, inflammatory) | |
11 | Sensory ataxic gait | stomping gait, Romberg’s test positive | Vitamin B12 deficiency. The patients use visual control to compensate for the loss of proprioception | |
12 | Hemiparetic gait | gait is slow, with a broad base, knee, and hip are extended, during the swing phase, the paretic leg performs a lateral movement (circumduction) | stroke, tumor, trauma, degenerative, inflammatory, vasculitis | |
13 | Festinating gait (Shuffling gait) | short stepped, hurrying, with weak arm swing, or naturally very slow (parkinsonian), in some patients with freezing and slow turning | Parkinson disease | Treatment: dopamine agonist, dopamine precursors, and deep brain stimulation |
14 | Apraxic frontal gait (Apractic or Bruns apraxia): | gait ignition failure, or with walking difficulty | Bifrontal lesions | |
15 | Hyperkinetic gait | chorea, dystonia, Wilson disease | ||
16 | Freezing gait | typically occur on turning or when approaching obstacles, Can fall easily | Parkinson’s disease | |
17 | Myelopatic gait | spastic or stiff gait | ||
18 | Propulsive gait | center of gravity anterior to the body | ||
19 | Magnetic gai | broad-based, short-stepped, “stuck to the floor,” | ||
20 | Myoclonic gait | short-lasting, involuntary jerks | ||
21 | Thalamic astasia | fall backward or to the contralateral side while sitting or standing | caused by thalamic lesions or stokes |