gait assessments Flashcards
what do you observe during a gait assessment
stride height length symmetry fluidity trunk position sway
leaning back
pseudo parkinson
leaning forward and grabbing furnitiure
common in patients with multiple falls and loss of confidence; no single diagnosis
veering to one side
consider stroke or balance problems
limping/antalgic
consider hip or knee or foot problems
unsteady on turning
consider ENT pathology
unsteady when first stands
consider postural hypotension
difficulty setting off
parkinsons
wide based gait
consider cerebellar and subcortical disease and normal pressure hydrocephalus
freezing or halting
consider anxiety and fear of falling, Parkinson’s disease, or frontal brain lesions
footdrop
consider stroke or localised anterior tibialis lesion
difficulty rising from a chair
consider proximal muscle weakness
what is a hemiplegic gait
arm is adducted, flexed, internally rotated
leg extended and plantar flexion
drag affected leg in a semicircle
where is hemiplegic gait mostly seen
stroke
what is a diplegic gait
both sides are affected with spasticity in lower extremities worse than upper extremities
narrow base dragging both legs whilst scraping the toes
where is diplegic gait seen in
bilateral periventricular lesions - cerebral palsy
what is neuropathic gait
foot drop, lift the leg up high enough during walking so that the foot does not drag the floor
unilateral neuropathic gait cause
peroneal nerve palsy
L5 radiculopathy
bilateral causes of neuropathic gait
Amyotropic lateral sclerosis
Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
other peripheral neuropathies ie diabetes
Myopathic gait
Hip girdle muscles
- unilateral trendelenberg sign
- bilateral waddling
myopathic gait bilateral seen in who
muscular dystrophy
what is choreiform or hyperkinetic gait
display irregular, jerky, involuntary movements in all extremities
hyperkinetic or choreiform gait seen where
basal ganglia disorders - sydenham’s chorea, huntington, chorea, athetosis or dystonia
what is ataxic gait
clumsy, staggereing movements with a wide based gait
titubation
can’t walk from heel to toe or in a straight line
rombergs test
ataxic gait seen in who
acute alcohol intoxication
cerebellar disease
more truncal instability - midline cerebellar disease at the vermis
sensory gait
when you lose proprioception
slam the foot hard
stomping gait
sensory gait seen where is it seen
B12 deficiency
peripheral neuropathy - uncontrolled diabetes
