Gait - Desai

Question 1

avg. step length, stride length, cadence, speed

Answer 1

step: 14 -16 inches
stride: 28 - 32 inches (stride is foot to foot)
cadence: 90-120 steps / min (women higher by 6-9 steps)
avg. speed: 3 mph

Question 2

gait cycle measured from

Answer 2

From heel strike to next heel strike of same foot

Question 3

joints between tarsals and metatarsals

Answer 3

lisfranc joint

Question 4

joints between talus/ calcaneus and navicular/ cuboid

Answer 4

midtarsal (chopart) joint

Question 5

most problems occur during this phase of gait cycle

Answer 5

stance

Question 6

stance phase

Answer 6

From heel strike (initial contact) to toe off (pre-swing)
• approximately 60% of gait cycle
• when foot is on ground and weight bearing

Question 7

swing phase

Answer 7

From toe off to heel strike
• approximately 40% of gait cycle
• foot moves forward and is not weight bearing

Question 8

this phase is longer lasting, how much % of the GC?

Answer 8

stance phase

60% of total

Question 9

mid stance in one foot is usually coordinated with

Answer 9

mid swing on other

Question 10

5 requirements of gait

Answer 10

• Stability in stance
• Foot clearance in swing
• Pre-position for initial contact
• Adequate step length
• Energy conservation

Question 11

single limb supports whole body for a total of - % of gait cycle

Answer 11

80% total

40% each foot

Question 12

how does body conserve energy during GC

Answer 12

center of gravity moves 2” up and down during gait cycle

• accomplished via pelvic list
• early stance, hip on non-weight bearing side DROPS about 2” (less energy now needed to lift leg mass)

Question 13

innominate rotation for energy conservation

Answer 13

Innominate (pelvic) rotation
• as foot moves forward for heel strike, innominate rotates
forward (anteriorly) in a sagittal plane
• effect is to “lengthen” femur (some compensation for pelvic list)

Question 14

lateral displacement of pelvis during GC for energy conservation

Answer 14

• 2 legged walk, feet hit about 2-4” apart
• only 1 foot on ground 80% of time (total both feet in cycle)
• center of mass has to compensate
• pelvis shifts laterally about 2”
• facilitates abduction of hip during stance

Question 15

adopted limp to avoid pain on weight-bearing
structures
• characterized by a very short stance phase on
affected side

Answer 15

antalgic gait

Question 16

etiology:
Trauma
• Osteoarthritis
• Pelvic girdle pain
• Coxalgia
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome

Answer 16

antalgic gait

Question 17

etiology:
Osteoarthritis of hip or knee joints
• Post orthopedic surgeries of hip or knee

Answer 17

arthrogenic gait

Question 18

• Due to stiffness in affected joints (usually hip or knee) from
deformity/decreased joint space
• Plantar flexion of foot opposite to affected side to increase
clearance
• Affected leg is circumducted (passive circular motion)
• Step is usually shorter

Answer 18

arthrogenic gait

Question 19

• unsteady, uncoordinated walk
• needs broad base of support
• wide base and feet thrown out
• loss of sensation or control
• may lurch or stagger
• pt often watches feet when walking

Answer 19

ataxic gait

Question 20

etiology:
 Vestibular
• Cerebellar abscess/hemorrhage
• Friedreich’s ataxia
• Pontine-cerebellar atrophy
• Chronic mercury poisoning
• Posterior fossa tumor
• Wernicke’s syndrome (chronic alcohol abuse)
• Drugs

Answer 20

ataxic gait

Question 21

• characterized by small shuffling steps
• hypokinesia (general slowness of movement)
• in extreme cases, can have akinesia
• total loss of movement
• reduced stride length and walking speed while
cadence rate is increased

Answer 21

parkinsonian (festinating) gait

Question 22

• full foot drop
• hip raised very high to clear toe
• usually a quiet gait

Answer 22

steppage (foot drop, hih stepping, neuropathic) gait

Question 23

etiology: peroneal nerve injury as a result of:
• lumbar disc herniation (most common)
• poliomyelitis
• multiple sclerosis
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Parkinson’s disease

Answer 23

steppage gait

Question 24

• leg is stiff, without flexion at knee and ankle, and with
each step is rotated away from the body, then towards it,
forming a semicircle

Answer 24

hemiplegic gait