gait
(gāt 
)
A manner of walking.
Patient Care: Patients with gait problems should be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team, often including a neurologist, physiatrist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and home health nurse. The home or care setting should be assessed for hazards that may increase the risk of falling; it should be altered to enhance its safety. Care providers should be taught how to safely assist an individual who has fallen, without compounding any injuries that may have occurred. Fall protection (hip pads, stair rails and tub rails, low bed position, appropriate kinds of chairs) should be provided to safeguard the patient from injury, and patients should be encouraged to practice and use techniques that specifically address their strengths and weaknesses so that their mobility is optimized.
antalgic g.A gait in which the patient experiences pain during the stance phase and thus remains on the painful leg for as short a time as possible.
ataxic g.An unsteady, staggering gait pattern. If related to cerebellar pathology, the gait is unsteady, irregular, and generally characterized by use of a wide base of support. The deviation is equally severe if the individual walks with eyes open or closed. If the cerebellar lesion is localized to one hemisphere, the individual will sway toward the affected side. Ataxic gait patterns related to spinal ataxia are characterized by a wide base of support, with the feet thrown out. There is a characteristic double tapping sound, as the individual steps on heels first, then on toes. This gait pattern occurs in such conditions as tabes dorsalis and multiple sclerosis and is believed to result from the disruption of the sensory pathways in the central nervous system.
SEE: ataxia and its subentries.
cerebellar g.An ataxic gait resulting, e.g., from a cerebellar stroke or tumor.
crouch g.A gait seen in cerebral palsy in which the hamstrings and psoas muscles are shorter than normal and the affected person walks with a stooped posture.
double step g.A gait in which alternate steps are of a different length or at a different rate.
drag-to g.A gait in which the crutches are advanced and the feet are dragged, rather than lifted, to the crutches.
equine g.A gait marked by high steps, characteristic of tibialis anterior paralysis. In a rigid equinus posture of the ankle, the person walks on the toes. This is also seen in spastic gait patterns.
festinating g.A gait in which short, shuffling steps are initially taken, with the feet barely clearing the floor. After several steps the walking pace becomes quicker and quicker. The upper body is flexed forward, and the head is bent toward the floor. The arms, elbows, hips, and knees are bent. This gait is typical of parkinsonism and related brain disorders.
four-point g.A gait in which one crutch is advanced first, and then the opposite lower extremity is advanced; e.g., the left crutch is moved forward, then the right lower extremity, followed by the right crutch, and then the left lower extremity.
SEE: Musculoskeletal Impairments Gait
frontal g.Difficulty in walking caused by stroke, tumor, or atrophy of the frontal lobes of the brain. Affected persons have difficulty lifting their feet from the floor, take short steps, and walk with their feet widely separated.
frozen g.Difficulty in walking caused by inability to initiate the necessary movements.
glue-footed g.A gait in which the individual has difficulty initiating the first step as if the feet were glued to the floor; once the gait is initiated, small, shuffling steps are taken. SYN: magnetic gait.
gluteus maximus g.A lurching gait, characterized by posterior leaning of the trunk at heel strike in order to keep the hip extended during the stance phase. It is caused by weakness of the gluteus maximus. It also is called hip extensor gait.
gluteus medius g.A gait deviation that occurs with weakness or paralysis of the gluteus medius muscle. In an uncompensated gluteus medius gait, the pelvis drops when the unaffected limb is in swing phase, and there is a lateral protrusion of the stationary affected hip. This is a result of weakness of the gluteus medius muscle, or congenital hip dislocations or coxa vara. A compensated gluteus medius gait appears with paralysis of the muscle, and is characterized by a shifting of the trunk to the affected side during the stance phase. It also is known as Trendelenburg gait.
helicopod g.A gait in which one or both feet describe a half circle with each step, sometimes seen in hysteria.
hemiplegic g.A gait in which the patient abducts the paralyzed limb, swings it around, and brings it forward so that the foot comes to the ground in front. During the stance phase the patient bears very little weight on the involved leg.
Parkinson g.In patients with Parkinson disease, a gait marked by short steps with the feet barely clearing the floor in a shuffling and scraping manner. As the steps continue, they may become successively more rapid. The posture is marked by flexion of the upper body with the spine bent forward, head down, and arms, elbows, hips, and knees bent.
SEE: festination.
propulsive g.A walking pattern characterized by a rigid, stooped posture and the relative inability to oppose forward momentum. A person with a propulsive gait may hold the head, neck, and center of balance more anteriorly than a person with a normal gait.
quadriceps g.A gait in which the trunk leans forward at the beginning of the stance phase to lock the knee when the quadriceps femoris muscle is weak or paralyzed.
retropulsive g.Retropulsion (2).
Variant: scissoring gait
A gait marked by excessive hip adduction in swing phase. As a result, the swing leg crosses in front of the stance leg. This gait pattern is seen in patients with an upper motor neuron lesion, and is accompanied by spasticity. SYN: scissor leg.senile g.A gait marked by associated stooped posture, knee and hip flexion, diminished arm swinging, stiffness in turning, and broad-based, small steps. It is usually seen in older adults.
slow g.A walking speed less than 3/4 of a meter/second.
spastic g.A stiff movement of the legs while walking, usually the result of an upper motor neuron lesion and spasticity in the muscles of the lower extremity. There are several variations. Spasticity in the ankle plantar flexors results in the toes dragging or walking on the toes; spasticity in the hip adductors results in a scissoring or crossing of the legs; spasticity in the quadriceps femoris results in the knee being held rigid. If the upper extremities are involved, the arms do not swing rhythmically but are usually held still with the elbows and wrists flexed.
spondylitic cervical myelopathic g.A spastic, shuffling gait due to increased muscle tone resulting from deep tendon reflexes below the level of compression.
steppage g.A gait in which the foot is lifted high to clear the toes, there is no heel strike, and the toes hit the ground first. It is seen in anterior tibialis paralysis, peripheral neuritis, late stages of diabetic neuropathy, alcoholism, and chronic arsenic poisoning.
swing-through g.A gait in which the crutches are advanced and the legs are swung between and ahead of the crutches.
swing-to g.A gait in which the crutches are advanced and the legs are advanced to the crutches.
tabetic g.A high-stepping ataxic walk in which the feet slap the ground. It is caused by tabes dorsalis.
three-point g.A gait in which the crutches and the affected leg are advanced first, then the other leg.
toppling g.The tendency of an individual who has suffered a stroke to fall toward the affected side of the brain.
two-point g.A gait in which the right foot and left crutch are advanced simultaneously, then the left foot and right crutch are moved forward.
SEE: Gait Using One Crutch
waddling g.A gait in which the feet are wide apart and the walk resembles that of a duck. It occurs in coxa vara and double congenital hip displacement when lordosis is present. In late pregnancy, hormone-induced softening allows some pelvic movement at the sacroiliac and pubic symphysis articulations on ambulation. Compensatory widening of the stance results in the characteristic waddle.
SEE: