PAT H O LO G I C A L

G A I T S
 •The patient stands with unilateral
weakness on the affected side, arm
flexed, adducted and internally
rotated. Leg on same side is in
extension with plantar flexion of the
foot and toes. When walking, the
patient will hold his or her arm to one
side and drags his or her affected leg
in a semicircle (circumduction) due to
Hemiplegic weakness of distal muscles (foot drop)
and extensor hypertonia in lower limb.
Gait This is most commonly seen in stroke.
With mild hemiparesis, loss of normal
arm swing and slight circumduction
may be the only abnormalities.
 • Patients have involvement on both
sides with spasticity in lower
extremities worse than upper
extremities. The patient walks with
an abnormally narrow base,
dragging both legs and scraping the
toes. This gait is seen in bilateral
periventricular lesions, such as those
seen in cerebral palsy. There is also
characteristic extreme tightness of
hip adductors which can cause legs
Diplegic Gait to cross the midline referred to as a
scissors gait. In countries with
(Spastic Gait) adequate medical care, patients
with cerebral palsy may have hip
adductor release surgery to
minimize scissoring.
 • Seen in patients with foot drop
(weakness of foot dorsiflexion), the
cause of this gait is due to an
attempt to lift the leg high enough
during walking so that the foot does
not drag on the floor. If unilateral,
causes include peroneal nerve palsy
Neuropathic and L5 radiculopathy. If bilateral,
causes include amyotrophic lateral
Gait sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth
disease and other peripheral
(Steppage Gait, neuropathies including those
Equine Gait) associated with uncontrolled
diabetes.
 • Hip girdle muscles are responsible
for keeping the pelvis level when
walking. If you have weakness on
one side, this will lead to a drop in
the pelvis on the contralateral side
of the pelvis while walking
(Trendelenburg sign). With bilateral
Myopathic weakness, you will have dropping of
the pelvis on both sides during
Gait walking leading to waddling. This
gait is seen in patient with
(Waddling myopathies, such as muscular
dystrophy.
Gait)
 • This gait is seen with certain basal
ganglia disorders including
Sydenham's chorea, Huntington's
Disease and other forms of chorea,
athetosis or dystonia. The patient
will display irregular, jerky,
involuntary movements in all
Choreiform extremities. Walking may accentuate
their baseline movement disorder.
Gait
(Hyperkinetic
Gait)
 • Most commonly seen in cerebellar
disease, this gait is described as
clumsy, staggering movements with
a wide-based gait. While standing
still, the patient's body may swagger
back and forth and from side to side,
known as titubation. Patients will
not be able to walk from heel to toe
or in a straight line. The gait of acute
Ataxic Gait alcohol intoxication will resemble
(Cerebellar) the gait of cerebellar disease.
Patients with more truncal instability
are more likely to have midline
cerebellar disease at the vermis.
 • In this gait, the patient will have
rigidity and bradykinesia. He or she
will be stooped with the head and
neck forward, with flexion at the
knees. The whole upper extremity is
also in flexion with the fingers
usually extended. The patient walks
with slow little steps known
at marche a petits pas (walk of little
Parkinsonian steps). Patient may also have
difficulty initiating steps. The patient
Gait may show an involuntary inclination
(Festinating to take accelerating steps, known as
festination. This gait is seen in
Gait, Propulsive Parkinson's disease or any other
Gait) condition causing parkinsonism,
such as side effects from drugs.
 • As our feet touch the ground, we receive
propioreceptive information to tell us
their location. The sensory ataxic gait
occurs when there is loss of this
propioreceptive input. In an effort to
know when the feet land and their
location, the patient will slam the foot
hard onto the ground in order to sense it.
A key to this gait involves its exacerbation
when patients cannot see their feet (i.e.
in the dark). This gait is also sometimes
referred to as a stomping gait since
patients may lift their legs very high to hit
Sensory Ataxia the ground hard. This gait can be seen in
disorders of the dorsal columns (B12
Gait deficiency or tabes dorsalis) or in
diseases affecting the peripheral nerves
(uncontrolled diabetes). In its severe
form, this gait can cause an ataxia that
resembles the cerebellar ataxic gait.
 • Antalgic gait, which is a limp
that’s caused by pain in your
lower limbs. Antalgic gait often
goes along with antalgic lean.
This happens when you shift your
posture and lean to one side to
relieve back or leg pain. This takes
pressure off the sore area. An
antalgic gait occurs when you
Antalgic gait walk with a limp because of pain.
It’s a common problem and
usually caused by minor injuries.
 •This type of gait gets its name
because the knees and thighs hit or
cross in a scissors-like pattern when
walking. The legs, hips, and pelvis
become flexed, making the person
appear as though he or she is
crouching. The steps are slow and
small. This type of gait occurs often in
patients with spastic cerebral palsy.

Scissors gait
University of benin teaching hospital.
Institute of health technology
Course code:BMk 102
Course title: kinesiology and biomechanics
Name of student: olowojeseku Tomiwa
Elizabeth.
Mat no:IHT/OT/22/4093.
Assignment: pathological gaits and pattern.