the anatomy of gait Flashcards
what does one gait cycle consist of?
it begins with the heel strike of one foot and ends with the next heel stike of that same foot
what are the phases of the gait cycle?
stance phase and swing phase
what type of support is found in the stance phase?
double support: initial contact and loading response
single support: mid and terminal stance
double support: ore swing toes off
what is the distribution of stance versus swing phase in the gate cycle?
60% stance
40% swing
what type of support is found in the swing phase?
single support through out the initial, mid and terminal swing
where along the foot is the weigth distributed during the initial contact?
at the heel of the foot
at what stage if the foot said to be flat during the gait cycle?
during the loading phase, the weight gets distributed more evenly across the foot
where along the foot is the weight distributed in the mid stance, before toe off?
on the medial proximal 1/3 of the foot
why are hip abductors important to the gait cycle?
they prevent pelvic drop as they provide pelvic stability during single stance
what is trendelenburg gait?
it is a contralateral pelvic drop caused by wekness of the gluteus medius or minimum or due to injury to the superior gluteal N,
in heel strike, muscles need to contract in order to have movement?
- 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
what is the role of gluteus maximus in pelvic gait?
acts as a decelerator and slows down the forward movement of single stance support and attaining limb position for push off
what other muscles of the leg act as decelerators in gait along with gluteus maximus
hamstring muscles except the short head of biceps femoris
what muscles of the foot act in order to transition from heel strike to flat foot?
plantar flexors, they allow to lower the feel down to the ground
what muscles continue to act and function in the same manner throughout heel strike and flat foot
knee extensors
what occurs during gluteus maximus gait?
-backwards lurching of the trunk during heel strike to prevent trunk from accelerating too quickly
what does the backward lurch in gluteus maximus gait assist in?
locks the limb into extension in order for it to support the body weight during the stance phase
what muscle group is involved in accelerating the swing of the leg forward?
hip flexors
what are the knee extensors involved in during the gait cycle?
they are involved in preparing the limb for heel strike and accepting the body weight in stance phase
what happens during quadriceps femoris gait?
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
how does lurching forward in quadriceps gait do?
it shifts the center of gravity forward and will avoid the quadriceps from having to do wotk
what type of gait is often due to limb discrepancy or due to weak hip/knee flexors (sometimes paralyzed)
vaulting gait or circumduction gait
what is genu recurvatum characterized by?
snapping of the knee into extension or hyperflexion at heel stike
what are the causes of genu recurvatum?
many different causes such as
skeletal deformity
weakness of hamstrings or quads
what does genu recurvatum cause?
it causes anterior translation of the tibia which puts the ACL at risk of injury
what do the dorsiflexors ensure during gait?
they ensure the clearance of the toes during the swing phase and prepares the foot for heel strike
what are the plantar flexors involed in during Gait?
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
what is flat foot gait?
due to poor heel stike and minimal toe lift off more weigth is place on the calcaneal tendon and leads to valgus arches
what is pes cavus gait?
not much heel strike nor toes off. indeed the walk is much more inverted, and difficult to walk around (more of a shuffle)
what does pes cavus or flat foot lead to in gait?
difficulties with toe-off causing joints and back pain.
what may flat foot gait cause?
joint and back pain dues to misalignement of the joint
what is the calcaneal tendon more vulnerable to in pes cavus gait?
tearing of the tendon
what is slap foot gait?
weakness in dorsiflexors causing for toes not to be cleared in swing phase. no control of foot drop upon initial contact causing for slapping
what is drop foot/steppage gait?
paralysis of dorsiflexors causes the foot to drop during the swing phase
how do patients with drop foot compensate?
by overflexiing the hip to be able to life a little bit higher so that the toes clear the ground
what muscles are involved in the midstance of the stance phase?
- hip extensors that extend the hip into this stance
- hip abductors to prevent contralateral hip drop
what muscles are involved in the push off part stance phase?
plantar flexion allows to push off and propel the body forward
-hip extensors continue to push off
during the swing phase, what muscles are involved in acceleration/midswing?
- 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
during the swing phase, what muscles are involved in deceleration
hip extensors: act as decelerators
-knee extensors will prepare the leg for heel strike
what is the role of abductor longus in gait?
it keeps the limb that is swinging close to the stance limb while acting as a hip flexor
when are the plantar flexion muscles of the leg recruited?
in the stance phase from the loading response to the pre swing phase (stance phase)
when are the dorsiflexors of the foot recruited?
in the swing phase,
when are the pelvis stabilizers recruited?
during the stance phase
when are the accelerators (muscles of the thigh and knee) recruited?
terminal stance phase up to the mid swing phase
when are the muscles of the foot mostly recruited?
during the terminal stance phase and the pre swing
