Normal Gait Daily Reading

Question 1

How long in life do locomotion patterns tend to be variable & irregular?

Answer 1

age 7

Question 2

Give a simplified example of the entire gait cycle broken down into one simple sentence

Answer 2

from heel strike on the R foot until the next heel strike on the R foot

Question 3

What are the two phases of the gait cycle?

Answer 3

stance (60%)
swing (40%)
-additionally 2 periods of double support and 1 period of SLS

Question 4

As cadence increases, what happens to stride length?

Answer 4

decreases “walk faster and stride shortens”

Question 5

List the 5 phases of the stance phase

Answer 5

1. Initial contact (heel strike)
2. Loading response (foot flat)
3. Midstance (SLS)
4. Terminal stance (heel off)
5. Pre swing (toe off)

Question 6

List the 3 phases of the swing phase

Answer 6

1. Initial swing (acceleration)
2. Midswing
3. Terminal swing (deceleration)

Question 7

During what two phases does the previously mentioned double support occur in?

Answer 7

initial contact & preswing

Question 8

What is important to remember about the demands the body must endure during loading response and midstance?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What two joint movements must occur for initial swing to happen?

Answer 9

rapid knee flexion and ankle DF

Question 10

During Terminal Swing (acceleration), what are the quadriceps and hamstrings response for?

Answer 10

quadriceps control the amount of knee extension while the hamstrings control the amount of hip flexion

Question 11

How does running impact the duration of stance phase?

What impact does that have on the body?

Answer 11

it decreases the amount of stance phase

the load increases 2-3x throughout the body

Question 12

What is important to keep in mind with ROM as running occurs?

Answer 12

running demands more ROM at the joint compared to walking (i.e. more hip flexion is needed for running compared to walking)

Question 13

List the phases of gait when running

Answer 13

stance (40%)
swing (30%)
float (30%)

Question 14

When can a relatively normal gait pattern be seen in someone?

Answer 14

as young as 3yrs old

Question 15

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

Answer 15

1. E Cadence
2. B. Step length
3. A. Stride length
4. C. Stride
5. D. Step

SAME FOOT=STRIDE

OPPOSITE FEET=STEP

Question 16

What is the normal base width when walking?

Answer 16

8-10cm or 3-4in, but it decreases to 0 as speed increases

Question 17

On the swing phase the hip is lower, why is this relevant?

Answer 17

that is why we have to perform rapid knee flexion and ankle DF to clear the foot

Question 18

What is the normal COG?

Answer 18

in standing, 5 cm (2in) anterior to 2nd sacral vertebrae

Question 19

What is normal cadence?

Answer 19

90-120 steps/min

Question 20

What is important to remember about stance phase and swing phase & CKC/OKC?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What an abnormal response we might see during Initial Contact and what could cause it?

Answer 21

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)

Question 22

If heel strike does not occur first, but rather foot flat or the foot slaps/flops down, what should we consider?

Answer 22

it is due to dorsiflexor weakness (i.e. peroneal neuropathy or L4 nerve root lesion) OR knee flexion contracture/spasticity

Question 23

What would be an abnormal response that may occur during Loading Response and what might we suspect?

Answer 23

excessive or no knee motion due to weak quads or plantar flexor contracture/spasticity

Question 24

What should we remember about foot positioning during swing phase & stance phase?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What is the maximum amount of hip extension we need in the gait cycle?

Answer 25

10-15 degrees in midstance

Question 26

What is the critical event during Preswing?

Answer 26

the knee flexing to 30-35 degrees

Question 27

What ist eh maximum amount of knee flexion we need in the gait cycle?

Answer 27

60 degrees in initial swing

Question 28

What is steppage gait?

Answer 28

the hip flexes excessively so that the toes clear the ground during the midswing phase