Typical Gait

Question 1

What is gait

Answer 1

The manner in which a person walks. As the body moves forward, one limb serves as a mobile source of support while the other limb advances to a new support site.

Repeated with reciprocal timing until the destination is reached.

Question 2

What is step width?

Answer 2

Linear distance between midpoint of heel on one foot and the same point on the other foot in completing a step.
Normal 3.5 inches, varies from 1-5 inches
Wider in small children and the elderly

Question 3

What is the line of progression?

Answer 3

The path taken during gait.
Toe out is the angle of foot placement found by measuring angle formed by each foot’s line of progression.
7 degrees for men.
Decreases as speed increases.

Question 4

What are the periods of gait?

Answer 4

Stance = 60% reference limb on the ground
Swing = 40% reference limb off the ground

Question 5

What are the functional tasks of gait?

Answer 5

Weight acceptance
Single limb support
Swing limb advancement

Question 6

What are the phases of gait?

Answer 6

Initial contact, loading response, mid-stance, terminal stance, pre-swing, initial swing, mid-swing, and terminal swing

Question 7

What is double limb support?

Answer 7

When both limbs are on the ground as body weight transfers from one limb to the other.

Question 8

What is a step?

Answer 8

In normal gait, a step includes events from one heel strike to the next.

Question 9

What is step length

Answer 9

The distance between two sucessive heel strikes contralaterally

Question 10

What is gait symmetry?

Answer 10

A measure of the equality between step lengths of each limb.

Question 11

What is step duration?

Answer 11

The amount of time spent during a single step
Usually seconds/step

Question 12

What is a stride?

Answer 12

THe events of heel strike on one limb through the subsequent heel strike on the same limb. Involves 2 steps.

Question 13

What is stride duration?

Answer 13

The amount of time it takes to accomplish one stride. Normal adult duration is 1 second/stride

Question 14

What is cadence?

Answer 14

The number of steps taken per unit of time
110 for men 116 for women
180 double limb support disappears and running begins

Question 15

What is speed?

Answer 15

The rate of linear forward motion in the body without regard for specified direction.
Increases in speed up to 120/min are both cadence and stride
Greater than 120, only cadence factors in

Question 16

What is weight acceptance?

Answer 16

First task of stance cycle
Most challenging
Preserves forward progression
Initial limb stability
Shock absorption
Challenge - abrupt transfer of body weight onto limb that has just finished swinging forward and has unstable alignment

Question 17

What is single-limb support?

Answer 17

Lifting the other limb for swing.
Continues until opposite foot again contacts the floor
Stablity is required as one limb has total responsibility for support in both sagittal and coronal planes

Question 18

What is swing limb advancement?

Answer 18

The limb swings through 3 postures as it lifts itself for foot clearance and advances to complete the stride to prepare for the next stance interval.