the anatomy of gait

Question 1

what does one gait cycle consist of?

Answer 1

it begins with the heel strike of one foot and ends with the next heel stike of that same foot

Question 2

what are the phases of the gait cycle?

Answer 2

stance phase and swing phase

Question 3

what type of support is found in the stance phase?

Answer 3

double support: initial contact and loading response
single support: mid and terminal stance
double support: ore swing toes off

Question 4

what is the distribution of stance versus swing phase in the gate cycle?

Answer 4

60% stance

40% swing

Question 5

what type of support is found in the swing phase?

Answer 5

single support through out the initial, mid and terminal swing

Question 6

where along the foot is the weigth distributed during the initial contact?

Answer 6

at the heel of the foot

Question 7

at what stage if the foot said to be flat during the gait cycle?

Answer 7

during the loading phase, the weight gets distributed more evenly across the foot

Question 8

where along the foot is the weight distributed in the mid stance, before toe off?

Answer 8

on the medial proximal 1/3 of the foot

Question 9

why are hip abductors important to the gait cycle?

Answer 9

they prevent pelvic drop as they provide pelvic stability during single stance

Question 10

what is trendelenburg gait?

Answer 10

it is a contralateral pelvic drop caused by wekness of the gluteus medius or minimum or due to injury to the superior gluteal N,

Question 11

in heel strike, muscles need to contract in order to have movement?

Answer 11

• dorsiflexors of the foot to prepare for the heel strike
• knee extensors prepare for heel strike and is ready to accept weight on single stance
• hip extensors act as decelerators

Question 12

what is the role of gluteus maximus in pelvic gait?

Answer 12

acts as a decelerator and slows down the forward movement of single stance support and attaining limb position for push off

Question 13

what other muscles of the leg act as decelerators in gait along with gluteus maximus

Answer 13

hamstring muscles except the short head of biceps femoris

Question 14

what muscles of the foot act in order to transition from heel strike to flat foot?

Answer 14

plantar flexors, they allow to lower the feel down to the ground

Question 15

what muscles continue to act and function in the same manner throughout heel strike and flat foot

Answer 15

knee extensors

Question 16

what occurs during gluteus maximus gait?

Answer 16

-backwards lurching of the trunk during heel strike to prevent trunk from accelerating too quickly

Question 17

what does the backward lurch in gluteus maximus gait assist in?

Answer 17

locks the limb into extension in order for it to support the body weight during the stance phase

Question 18

what muscle group is involved in accelerating the swing of the leg forward?

Answer 18

hip flexors

Question 19

what are the knee extensors involved in during the gait cycle?

Answer 19

they are involved in preparing the limb for heel strike and accepting the body weight in stance phase

Question 20

what happens during quadriceps femoris gait?

Answer 20

forward lurching at the beginning of the stance phase (LR) in order to lock knee extension when the quadriceps femoris muscles is weak or paralyzed

Question 21

how does lurching forward in quadriceps gait do?

Answer 21

it shifts the center of gravity forward and will avoid the quadriceps from having to do wotk

Question 22

what type of gait is often due to limb discrepancy or due to weak hip/knee flexors (sometimes paralyzed)

Answer 22

vaulting gait or circumduction gait

Question 23

what is genu recurvatum characterized by?

Answer 23

snapping of the knee into extension or hyperflexion at heel stike

Question 24

what are the causes of genu recurvatum?

Answer 24

many different causes such as
skeletal deformity
weakness of hamstrings or quads

Question 25

what does genu recurvatum cause?

Answer 25

it causes anterior translation of the tibia which puts the ACL at risk of injury

Question 26

what do the dorsiflexors ensure during gait?

Answer 26

they ensure the clearance of the toes during the swing phase and prepares the foot for heel strike

Question 27

what are the plantar flexors involed in during Gait?

Answer 27

lowering the foot to the ground after heel strike and following through to terminal stance and pre swing phase to toe off. it is also involved in the swing phase “push off” phase to accelerate the limb

Question 28

what is flat foot gait?

Answer 28

due to poor heel stike and minimal toe lift off more weigth is place on the calcaneal tendon and leads to valgus arches

Question 29

what is pes cavus gait?

Answer 29

not much heel strike nor toes off. indeed the walk is much more inverted, and difficult to walk around (more of a shuffle)

Question 30

what does pes cavus or flat foot lead to in gait?

Answer 30

difficulties with toe-off causing joints and back pain.

Question 31

what may flat foot gait cause?

Answer 31

joint and back pain dues to misalignement of the joint

Question 32

what is the calcaneal tendon more vulnerable to in pes cavus gait?

Answer 32

tearing of the tendon

Question 33

what is slap foot gait?

Answer 33

weakness in dorsiflexors causing for toes not to be cleared in swing phase. no control of foot drop upon initial contact causing for slapping

Question 34

what is drop foot/steppage gait?

Answer 34

paralysis of dorsiflexors causes the foot to drop during the swing phase

Question 35

how do patients with drop foot compensate?

Answer 35

by overflexiing the hip to be able to life a little bit higher so that the toes clear the ground

Question 36

what muscles are involved in the midstance of the stance phase?

Answer 36

- hip extensors that extend the hip into this stance | - hip abductors to prevent contralateral hip drop

Question 37

what muscles are involved in the push off part stance phase?

Answer 37

plantar flexion allows to push off and propel the body forward -hip extensors continue to push off

Question 38

during the swing phase, what muscles are involved in acceleration/midswing?

Answer 38

- dorsiflexors lift the foot to clear the floor, and prepare for heel strike - hip flexors will assist in accelerating the limb into swing phase - knee flexors lift the swinging leg

Question 39

during the swing phase, what muscles are involved in deceleration

Answer 39

hip extensors: act as decelerators | -knee extensors will prepare the leg for heel strike

Question 40

what is the role of abductor longus in gait?

Answer 40

it keeps the limb that is swinging close to the stance limb while acting as a hip flexor

Question 41

when are the plantar flexion muscles of the leg recruited?

Answer 41

in the stance phase from the loading response to the pre swing phase (stance phase)

Question 42

when are the dorsiflexors of the foot recruited?

Answer 42

in the swing phase,

Question 43

when are the pelvis stabilizers recruited?

Answer 43

during the stance phase

Question 44

when are the accelerators (muscles of the thigh and knee) recruited?

Answer 44

terminal stance phase up to the mid swing phase

Question 45

when are the muscles of the foot mostly recruited?

Answer 45

during the terminal stance phase and the pre swing