Abstract
Various atypical gait patterns are commonly associated with spasticity in certain muscle groups; however, these generalizations do not apply to all patients. The presence and degree of spasticity in a particular muscle group often has little relevance to the gait pattern. An algorithm using quantitative gait analysis to determine the actual mechanism of an atypical gait pattern is presented. A muscle is considered functionally significantly spastic only if it fulfills a number of criteria in the algorithm. We discuss the use of this algorithm for each of several common atypical gait patterns, including stiff-legged gait, ankle equinus, knee recurvatum, crouched gait, foot varus, scissoring, and reduced hip extension. The primary purpose of this article is not to explain how to perform a quantitative gait analysis but rather to describe the algorithm to assess a patient with an atypical gait pattern associated with an upper motor neuron pathology.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 29-39 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1997 |
Keywords
- Gait
- Paresis
- Rehabilitation
- Spastic
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Rehabilitation
- Clinical Neurology