Gait abnormality
Gait abnormalities refer to walking patterns that deviate from the typical human gait, which is a result of complex muscle and limb coordination. These abnormalities can be classified into five main types: spastic gaits, scissors gaits, steppage gaits, waddling gaits, and propulsive gaits, each with distinct characteristics and underlying causes. Factors contributing to gait abnormalities include genetic conditions, injuries, and various neurological diseases. While some individuals may experience temporary gait issues due to injuries that improve over time, others may require medical intervention, such as physical therapy, to correct or manage their walking patterns.
Gait analysis is a crucial tool used by healthcare professionals to diagnose and address these abnormalities effectively. Common causes of specific gaits involve conditions like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson's disease, which may lead to chronic difficulties in walking. Treatment approaches often focus on managing the underlying conditions and may include physical rehabilitation to strengthen affected muscle groups. Understanding gait abnormalities is essential, as they can impact mobility and overall quality of life, especially in older adults whose risk for these issues increases with age.
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Gait abnormality
Gait abnormalities are methods of walking that differ from the standard means by which humans have evolved to walk. Because walking is a complicated process involving a variety of muscle groups, changes or abnormalities in numerous parts of the body may result in abnormal gaits. Most abnormal gaits can be characterized into five categories: propulsive gaits, scissors gaits, spastic gaits, steppage gaits, and waddling gaits. Each type of gait has a set of unique characteristics, causes, and potential treatments.
Some abnormal gaits are caused by genetic conditions, and may not be preventable. However, abnormal gaits caused by injuries or illnesses may be prevented, minimized, or corrected with proper treatment. In order to treat abnormal gaits, doctors commonly use physical therapy. They may also work to treat the underlying conditions that cause the abnormal gait.
Background
A gait is the method by which a person walks. Though walking is something that most people learn naturally, it requires a complex pattern of limb movements and muscle contractions in order to perform correctly. For this reason, not everyone can learn to walk in the same manner. Individuals who walk in an unusual manner, or whose body systems control their means of walking in an unusual way, may be diagnosed with an abnormal gait.
Abnormal gaits can be caused by a variety of factors. Some are caused by genetics, and people may be born with conditions that inhibit their ability to move in a normal manner. This may include people who were born with abnormalities in their lower bodies as well as people who struggle to control their lower bodies. However, abnormal gaits may also be caused by illnesses or injuries that damage the body.
Some abnormal gaits may normalize on their own as a person ages, or as an injury heals. However, other individuals with abnormal gaits may require physical therapy in order to correct the way they walk. Still others may be unable to correct their gait, and may have chronic difficulties with walking.
Overview
Gait abnormalities are commonly divided into five types of gaits: spastic gaits, scissors gaits, steppage gaits, waddling gaits, and propulsive gaits. Scissor gait refers to a manner of walking commonly conducted by patients with spastic paraplegia. Spastic paraplegias are neurologic disorders that cause muscle tightness and muscle weakness in the legs, causing patients to have pronounced difficulty walking. Symptoms commonly associated with scissor gaits include contractures of spastic muscles, planar flexion of the ankle, excessive adduction of the leg while it swings, and flexion at the knee. These symptoms cause individuals to walk balanced on their tip-toes with their knees rubbing together. They may also use their upper body to assist in balancing while they walk.
Steppage gaits, also called high steppage gaits or diabetic gaits, is characterized by foot drop. This condition causes the front of the foot to drag on the ground while walking. In order to avoid this, individuals with a steppage gait often raise their leg higher than normal to combat their foot drop and avoid tripping. Many conditions can cause individuals to adopt a steppage gait, including sciatica, strokes, transverse myelitis, peroneal nerve injuries, and multiple sclerosis.
Waddling gaits, also called myopathic gaits, are a means of walking caused by a weakness of the pelvic girdle. This causes individuals to have difficulty balancing, and to utilize their torso in the walking process. Waddling gaits are most common in pregnant women during the third trimester, when the pelvis widens and the spine may curve. However, it may also be caused by muscular dystrophy, congenital hip dysplasia, lumbar lordosis, and cerebral palsy. Though some conditions that cause a waddling gait may heal on their own, resulting in a return to a traditional gait, many require medical treatment.
Propulsive gaits, also called parkinsonian gaits, are characterized by a stiff, rigid posture, with the head and neck bent forward. It is commonly seen in elderly patients or patients suffering from parkinsonism. People with a propulsive gait typically take small, jerky, fast steps and move their arms while walking. They may also fall frequently, or move more slowly because they worry that they may fall. Because propulsive gaits are often caused by Parkinson’s disease, they may be difficult to treat. Some medications that treat Parkinson’s disease, such as Levodopa, may be used to treat a propulsive gait. Deep brain stimulation has also been used to treat the disorder.
Spastic gaits are characterized by the muscle in one leg stiffening, resulting in the leg being dragged in a semi-circular motion. The gait is most common in patients with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. It tends to make people appear stiff when walking.
In addition to these firmly classifiable types of gait disorders, anyone who walks in a manner that differs from the traditional method of walking has an abnormal gait. For example, anyone who limps from a sports injury, arthritis, or any other conditions has developed an abnormal gait.
Doctors can use techniques such as gait analysis to better understand and more accurately diagnose gait abnormalities, which are traditionally treated by addressing the underlying cause of the abnormality. For example, if an infection is causing muscle weakness in one part of the body, doctors may prescribe antibiotics or antiviral medications to combat the infection. Doctors may also order patients to undergo physical therapy to strengthen weak parts of their body, teaching the body to move in a more normal fashion.
In most people, the chance of developing a disorder that causes an abnormal gait increases with age. As people grow older, their muscles and bones weaken, increasing the likelihood of injuries. Many of these injuries may fail to heal properly, resulting in the development of an abnormal gait. They may also develop degenerative conditions that gradually weaken the body, such as arthritis.
Bibliography
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