Normal Gait Daily Reading Flashcards
How long in life do locomotion patterns tend to be variable & irregular?
age 7
Give a simplified example of the entire gait cycle broken down into one simple sentence
from heel strike on the R foot until the next heel strike on the R foot
What are the two phases of the gait cycle?
stance (60%)
swing (40%)
-additionally 2 periods of double support and 1 period of SLS
As cadence increases, what happens to stride length?
decreases “walk faster and stride shortens”
List the 5 phases of the stance phase
- Initial contact (heel strike)
- Loading response (foot flat)
- Midstance (SLS)
- Terminal stance (heel off)
- Pre swing (toe off)
List the 3 phases of the swing phase
- Initial swing (acceleration)
- Midswing
- Terminal swing (deceleration)
During what two phases does the previously mentioned double support occur in?
initial contact & preswing
What is important to remember about the demands the body must endure during loading response and midstance?
the leg that is going through loading response & midstance must be able to hold up the weight of the entire body because the other leg is going through the swing phase
What two joint movements must occur for initial swing to happen?
rapid knee flexion and ankle DF
During Terminal Swing (acceleration), what are the quadriceps and hamstrings response for?
quadriceps control the amount of knee extension while the hamstrings control the amount of hip flexion
How does running impact the duration of stance phase?
What impact does that have on the body?
it decreases the amount of stance phase
the load increases 2-3x throughout the body
What is important to keep in mind with ROM as running occurs?
running demands more ROM at the joint compared to walking (i.e. more hip flexion is needed for running compared to walking)
List the phases of gait when running
stance (40%)
swing (30%)
float (30%)
When can a relatively normal gait pattern be seen in someone?
as young as 3yrs old
Match the following with each definition
1.Number of steps per minute
2.The distance between successive heel strikes of two different feet
3.The distance between successive heel strikes of the same foot
4.The sequence of events between successive heel strikes of the same foot
5.The sequence of events between two successive heel strikes of the opposite feet
A. Stride length
B. Step length
C. Stride
D. Step
E. Cadence
- E Cadence
- B. Step length
- A. Stride length
- C. Stride
- D. Step
SAME FOOT=STRIDE
OPPOSITE FEET=STEP
What is the normal base width when walking?
8-10cm or 3-4in, but it decreases to 0 as speed increases
On the swing phase the hip is lower, why is this relevant?
that is why we have to perform rapid knee flexion and ankle DF to clear the foot
What is the normal COG?
in standing, 5 cm (2in) anterior to 2nd sacral vertebrae
What is normal cadence?
90-120 steps/min
What is important to remember about stance phase and swing phase & CKC/OKC?
stance phase is CKC which is important to remember bc changes will occur to the ankle->knee->hip compared to swing phase being OKC knee->ankle->foot
What an abnormal response we might see during Initial Contact and what could cause it?
if a pt’s knee is weak they may extend the knee by using a hand or forcefully hitting the heel hard on the ground to whip the knee into extension (i.e. poliomyelitis, L2, L3, or L4 nerve root lesion, or femoral neuropathy)
If heel strike does not occur first, but rather foot flat or the foot slaps/flops down, what should we consider?
it is due to dorsiflexor weakness (i.e. peroneal neuropathy or L4 nerve root lesion) OR knee flexion contracture/spasticity
What would be an abnormal response that may occur during Loading Response and what might we suspect?
excessive or no knee motion due to weak quads or plantar flexor contracture/spasticity
What should we remember about foot positioning during swing phase & stance phase?
during swing phase the foot will always be supinated (best for guidance) once it accepts weight and transitions to the stance phase it becomes pronated because that is the best way to protect the foot/ankle
