Common Causes
- Sensory ataxia (loss of coordination) due to peripheral neuropathy (damage to the peripheral nerves that control the limbs)
- Parkinson’s disease and related conditions
- Frontal gait disorder (brain condition that prevents a person from initiating the activity of walking)
Related Conditions
Some of the most common causes of abnormal gait include:
- injuries to the legs or feet
- arthritis
- infections in the soft tissue of the legs
- broken bones in feet and legs
- birth defects
- infections in the inner ear
- cerebral palsy
- stroke
- tendonitis
- conversion disorder or other psychological disorders
What are the most common causes of gait disturbance?
Gait disturbances are described as any deviations from normal walking or gait. These disturbances stem from numerous etiologies. Due to their different clinical presentations, a high index of...
What causes abnormal gait?
Types
- Spastic gait. Spastic gait occurs when a person drags his or her feet while walking. ...
- Scissors gait. A person whose legs bend inward will often have a scissors gait. ...
- Steppage gait. Steppage gait occurs when a person’s toes point towards the ground while walking. ...
- Waddling gait. ...
- Propulsive gait. ...
What does gait disturbance mean?
How to describe gait abnormalities?
What are the different types of gait disorders?
What is spastic gait?
What is a high stepping gait?
What is the name of the disorder where the head and neck are bent forward?
Why does walking make you gait?
Which gait is faster?
Can gait disorder overlap?
See 4 more
About this website
What is the most common cause of gait disorders?
The causes of gait disorders include neurological conditions (e.g. sensory or motor impairments), orthopedic problems (e.g. osteoarthritis and skeletal deformities) and medical conditions (e.g. heart failure, respiratory insufficiency, peripheral arterial occlusive disease and obesity).
How is gait disorder treated?
Maintaining proper foot alignment may require in-shoe splints or leg braces. A shoe lift may help in cases of an unequal leg length. Treating the underlying cause of the abnormal gait may help you recover some function. Medicines are available to treat arthritis, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.
What is an example of abnormal gait?
Ataxic 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.
Can gait disorders be cured?
Physical therapy and other treatments can help alleviate or cure an abnormal gait. People should seek medical advice and treatment if needed to help deal with their condition.
What does a person's gait say about them?
"A slow, easy gait shows confidence, self-assuredness, and lack of urgency," Kimberly Friedmutter, CHt, hypnotherapist and author Subconscious Power, tells Bustle. "Look for this gait in a taller than average person," as they also tend to have higher levels of confidence.
How do you tell if your gait is off?
Seek immediate medical attention if you suddenly experience an unsteady gait coupled with any of the following symptoms:a fall with injuries or a fall on your head.can't speak clearly.difficulty breathing.dizziness.drooping on one side of the face.loss of bladder or bowel control.occurs after a head injury.More items...
What can cause gait and balance problems?
Problems with gait, balance, and coordination are often caused by specific conditions, including:joint pain or conditions, such as arthritis.multiple sclerosis (MS)Meniere's disease.brain hemorrhage.brain tumor.Parkinson's disease.Chiari malformation (CM)spinal cord compression or infarction.More items...
What diseases cause difficulty in walking?
6 Medical Conditions That Can Cause Difficulty WalkingArthritis. In general, arthritis damages knee and hip tissues, which can lead to discomfort while walking. ... Ataxia. ... Disorders of the Cerebellum. ... Parkinson's Disease. ... Multiple Sclerosis. ... Cerebral Palsy.
What disease makes you lose the ability to walk?
What is ataxia? Ataxia is a loss of muscle control. People with ataxia lose muscle control in their arms and legs. This may lead to a lack of balance, coordination, and trouble walking.
Why can't I walk properly anymore?
Injuries, such as fractures (broken bones), sprains, and tendinitis. Movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis and peripheral nerve disorders. Vision problems.
What part of the brain controls gait instability?
Cerebellar ataxia Ataxic gait disorders occur due to dysfunction of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that is responsible for coordination of movements.
What does gait mean in medical terms?
Gait: A manner of walking. Observation of gait can provide early diagnostic clues for a number of disorders, including cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, and Rett syndrome.
How can I improve my gait balance?
These activities could include:Walking on a treadmill.Lifting your legs.Sitting down.Standing up.Stepping over objects.
What neurological disorders cause unsteady gait?
Neurologic Disease The weakness of the hip and lower extremity muscles commonly cause gait disturbances. Cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Charcot Marie Tooth disease, ataxia-telangiectasia, spinal muscular atrophy, peroneal neuropathy, and microvascular white-matter disease all cause significant gait disabilities.
What part of the brain controls gait instability?
Cerebellar ataxia Ataxic gait disorders occur due to dysfunction of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that is responsible for coordination of movements.
What is gait in rehabilitation?
Gait training or gait rehabilitation is the act of learning how to walk, either as a child, or, more frequently, after sustaining an injury or disability.
How many types of gait are there?
Eight basic pathological gaits can be attributed to neurological conditions: hemiplegic, spastic diplegic, neuropathic, myopathic, Parkinsonian, ch...
What is neurological gait dysfunction?
Due to malfunctions in the nervous system, a person experiences functional gait disturbances. There are atypical and abnormal movements of the limb...
What causes gait?
Causes of gait disorders include neurological conditions, orthopedic problems, and medical conditions.
How do you fix gait abnormalities?
To choose the most suitable treatment for your case, you should consult a doctor. Many patients with gait disorders benefit from physiotherapy.
Aging and unsteady gait: What can you do? - Mayo Clinic
With age, there is a natural loss of muscle mass that can lead to a loss of balance and coordination and affect the way you walk. This process can be accelerated by neurological disorders, such as dementia, as well as musculoskeletal disorders.
Gait and Balance Problems: Causes and Treatment - Healthline
Overview. Gait, the process of walking and balance, are intricate movements. They rely on proper functioning from several areas of the body, including the:
National Center for Biotechnology Information
National Center for Biotechnology Information
How many types of gait disorders are there?
Dysbasia is only one of the signs of a particular pathology. There are over 20 types of gait disorders and dysbasias classified by cause. Among them:
What is the best treatment for gait disorders?
To choose the most suitable treatment for your case, you should consult a doctor. Many patients with gait disorders benefit from physiotherapy .
What are the main coordinators of normal gait and balance?
The main coordinators of normal gait and balance are the person’s eyes and inner ear. Accordingly, poor eyesight, infectious diseases of these organs often disturb the balance and, as a result, change his gait. The use of alcoholic beverages, narcotic drugs, uncontrolled intake of medications, including sedatives, also takes note of the last place among the causes of disturbed gait.
What is hemiparetic stroke?
Hemiparetic. It is a consequence of a stroke, injuries sustained during childbirth, and neoplasms in the brain. It is characterized by squinting steps and circular foot movements.
What is the term for stiffness when walking?
Hypokinetic. It is characterized by stiffness while walking and caused by hypokinesia, hydrocephalus, Parkinson’s disease, or muscle hypertonia.
Who can help with gait disorders?
In cases where a person has symptoms of different types of gait disorders, they should seek the help of an orthopedist, neurologist, traumatologist, or ENT specialist. It all depends on the symptoms of gait disorders and, of course, the reasons for their occurrence. To find out the exact reason for the gait disturbance, it is necessary to undergo a detailed examination and thorough diagnosis.
Is walking the most difficult part of the body?
Of all types of human motor activity, walking is the most common and, at the same time, the most difficult. It involves many parts of the brain, various systems, and the bone apparatus. For a person’s gait to be correct, all these body structures must harmoniously interact with each other. If some malfunction occurs in the work of the central nervous system or it is disturbed, then, accordingly, the way of walking changes.
What are the eight gait abnormalities?
Gait Abnormalities. There are eight basic pathological gaits that can be attributed to neurological conditions: hemiplegic, spastic diplegic, neuropathic, myopathic, Parkinsonian, choreiform, ataxic (cerebellar) and sensory. Observation of these gait are an important aspect of diagnosis that may provide information about several musculoskeletal ...
What is the gait of Parkinson's?
Another case that we would commonly identify is the gait of Parkinson’s disease. It's a posture that's characterized by universal flexion. Every joint is flexed and the patient typically will take very small steps. This is called a festination gait. The French call it the marche. A petit power walk of little steps and there might also be an associated tremor with the gait. The patient may have a myriad other abnormalities related to the Parkinson's that we are not going to cover in this session.
What is the gait of cerebral palsy?
I get that we should mention in the context of the hemiplegic gait. This is the gait that is commonly seen in cerebral palsy. It's a diplegia gait, if you will, with hemiplegia on both sides. It’s a gait that I'm sure you’ve seen often in children and in adults affected by this from childhood. Typically the patients have extensor spasm and almost seem to be walking on tiptoe and although they have some circumduction they have a lot of adductor spasm that keeps their feet close together so they tend to be walking on tiptoe the arm is flexed like this. The adduction is a prominent feature in fact in some parts of the world where children do not get adductor releases you might actually see a scissors gait where the leg swings all the way over to the other side and again. That is another manifestation of the diplegia gait.
What is the gait of walking in the dark?
Talking about proprioception leads me to the other gait related to proprioception. Once again if you have trouble with your proprioception and cannot feel when your foot has arrived on the floor you are relying on a lot of visual cues and especially in the dark. You might develop what's called a stomping or stamping gait where you tend to walk like this needing to slam your foot down to get the vibration in your trunk to let you know that your foot has landed. So this gait may be much more prominent in the dark and not as evident in the daytime because they can see where they're going.
What is hemiplegic gait?
If the condition is mild the hand may not be flexed up like that and the only manifestation might just be a little circumduction and the hand may not be swinging normally the way the other hand swing. That is called the hemiplegic gait. It's important to understand why they do what they do when you cut the pyramidal tract. On the left side you have abnormalities of tone that manifests on the right side. So you develop flexion hypertonia in the upper limb and extensor hypertonia in the lower limb and that accounts for the leg being like that and the hand being like this. In addition, they develop much more distal weakness than proximity weakness. Their shoulder is strong and the fingers are very weak.
What is the most common gait you see in hemiplegia?
The most common gauge you will see is the hemiplegic gait and this is one that you see in hemiplegia where the arm is typically in this posture and the leg on the affected side is typically somewhat stiff.
Which hemisphere is the cerebellar gait?
People will tend to fall towards the side of their illness so if the illness is in the cerebellar hemisphere on the left they might fall in that direction.
Why is gait abnormal?
Abnormal gait or gait abnormality occurs when the body systems that control the way a person walks do not function in the usual way. This may happen due to any of the following reasons: illness. genetic factors.
How to help with gait disorder?
Physical therapy and other treatments can help alleviate or cure an abnormal gait. People should seek medical advice and treatment if needed to help deal with their condition.
What causes abnormal gait?
Some of the most common causes of abnormal gait include: injuries to the legs or feet. arthritis. infections in the soft tissue of the legs. broken bones in feet and legs. birth defects. infections in the inner ear. cerebral palsy. stroke.
How to prevent abnormal gait?
Preventative steps include: avoiding the participation in contact sports. wearing protective gear during sports.
What is steppage gait?
Steppage gait occurs when a person’s toes point towards the ground while walking. Often, the toes will scrape against the ground as the person steps forward.
What are the systems that allow you to walk?
However, there are many systems of the body, such as strength, coordination, and sensation, that work together to allow a person to walk with what is considered a normal gait. When one or more of these interacting systems is not working smoothly, it can result in abnormal gait or walking abnormality.
What is a spastic gait?
Spastic gait occurs when a person drags his or her feet while walking. This type can also make someone appear to be very stiff when walking.
What are functional gait disorders?
As functional gait disorders often occur together with other types of functional disorders, it is helpful to search for additional inconsistent or incongruous neurologic findings.# N#2#N#Moreover, several supportive signs can offer diagnostic support in patients with a functional gait disorder.#N#27#N#A useful one is the expressive behavior including breath-holding and grimacing while standing or walking (originally labeled as huffing and puffing sign, although we prefer expressive behavior, as this does not have a negative connotation).#N#28#N#This sign has an excellent specificity but poor sensitivity: in a cohort of 131 patients with a functional gait disorder (with the absence of pain), expressive behavior was present in 44%, whereas it was minimal or absent in 37 patients with an organic gait disorder.#N#28#N#A recent study reported an even lower sensitivity: expressive behavior was only present in 14 of 60 patients (23%) with a functional gait disorder.#N#3
What is a sign based approach to gait?
In this sign-based approach, presenting gait signs are taken as the starting point for a tailored search into the origin of the gait disorder. After identification of the presenting gait signs, clinical tests can subsequently bring out inconsistencies and incongruencies that may point out to a functional gait disorder. We hope that this will help clinicians during the diagnostic process in their daily clinical practice.
What is dragging the right leg?
Dragging of the right leg in a patient with idiopathic Parkinson disease with a functional gait disorder. This is an incongruent pattern, and there is an inexplicable variability when performing tandem gait or walking backward. Download Supplementary Video 17 via http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/009649_Video_17
How many patients have functional movement disorder?
Depending on the clinical setting, 2%–20% of patients referred to movement disorders outpatient clinics have a functional movement disorder, 1. and 40% of these patients have gait abnormalities without a structural lesion. 2.
Do patients with organic ataxia fall?
Patients with organic ataxia seek support as well, but typically avoid to stray far from their support, and are much less likely to keep crossing the hallway. In addition, most patients with functional gait disorders do not fall despite the presence of exaggerated truncal sway ( video 4 ).
Does gait affect running?
Importantly, the gait pattern typically does not alter markedly during running, walking backward, or dual-task performance in patients with sensory, vestibular, or cerebellar ataxia.
Is functional gait disorder pathognomonic?
They are also usually disabling for affected individuals. The diagnosis is challenging because no single walking pattern is pathognomonic for a functional gait disorder.
How to treat gait and balance issues?
Treatment for gait and balance issues depends on the cause. Treatments may include medications and physical therapy.
What is the best way to diagnose gait problems?
A physical and neurological examination can diagnose gait or balance problems. Your doctor will also ask questions about your symptoms and their severities.
Why is walking so hard?
Other causes include limited range of motion and fatigue. Muscle weakness can occur in one or both legs making walking difficult.
Can walking problems be long term?
Walking difficulties can be temporary or long-term, depending on the cause.
Is gait and balance dependent on medical condition?
The outlook of gait and balance problems is dependent on your underlying medical condition.
What are the different types of gait disorders?
The following gait disorders are so distinctive as to earn names: 1 Propulsive gait. This type of gait is seen in patients with parkinsonism. It is characterized by a stooping, rigid posture, and the head and neck are bent forward. Steps tend to become faster and shorter. 2 Scissors gait. 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. 3 Spastic gait. Common to patients with cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis, spastic gait is a way of walking in which one leg is stiff and drags in a semicircular motion on the side most affected by long-term muscle contraction. 4 Steppage gait. A “high stepping” type of gait in which the leg is lifted high, the foot drops (appearing floppy), and the toes points downward, scraping the ground, when walking. Peroneal muscle atrophy or peroneal nerve injury, as with a spinal problem (such as spinal stenosis or herniated disc), can cause this type of gait. 5 Waddling gait. Movement of the trunk is exaggerated to produce a waddling, duck-like walk. Progressive muscular dystrophy or hip dislocation present from birth can produce a waddling gait.
What is spastic gait?
Common to patients with cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis, spastic gait is a way of walking in which one leg is stiff and drags in a semicircular motion on the side most affected by long-term muscle contraction. Steppage gait.
What is a high stepping gait?
A “high stepping” type of gait in which the leg is lifted high, the foot drops (appearing floppy), and the toes points downward, scraping the ground, when walking.
What is the name of the disorder where the head and neck are bent forward?
The following gait disorders are so distinctive as to earn names: Propulsive gait. This type of gait is seen in patients with parkinsonism. It is characterized by a stooping, rigid posture, and the head and neck are bent forward. Steps tend to become faster and shorter. Scissors gait.
Why does walking make you gait?
Walking involves balance and coordination of muscles so that the body is propelled forward in a rhythm, called the stride. There are numerous possibilities that may cause an abnormal gait. Some common causes are: A degenerative disease (such as arthritis) An inner ear disorder. Stroke.
Which gait is faster?
Steps tend to become faster and shorter. Scissors gait. 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.
Can gait disorder overlap?
The cause of a gait disorder can be multiple and sometimes the causes overlap. To diagnose the disorder, the doctor will first observe your gait. Next, He or she may check that the legs are the same length (some patients with artificial hips or lower back pain may have legs of different length).
