Gait Cycle & Deviations

Steppage

• greater hip and knee flexion to clear foot during swing

  • Weak dorsiflexors (foot drop)

• weak or paralyzed dorsiflexors

Antalgic

• short step length on uninvolved side

• shortened swing time on the uninvolved side

• shortened SLS time on affected side

  • pain

Equinus

• Walking on the toes (heel doesn’t touch the ground).

• Tight/spastic calves (gastroc/soleus)

• Looks like the person is tiptoeing with each step.

Foot Slap

• A deviation during Initial Contact

• often indicating weak dorsiflexors.

Festinating

• hurried, shuffling gait with short steps and a stooped posture

• muscle weakness or paralysis

• muscle tone changes

• Parkinsons

Vaulting

• plantar flexion of stance leg so swing leg can clear ground

  • unequal leg lengths

  • unable to flex knee

RLA Terminology for: Heel Strike

Initial Contact

RLA Terminology for: Foot Flat

Loading Response

RLA Terminology: Midstance

Midstance

RLA Terminology for: Heel-off

Terminal Stance

RLA Terminology for: Toe-off

preswing

Traditional Terminology for: Initial Contact

Heel strike

Traditional Terminology for: Loading Response

Foot Flat

Traditional Response for: Terminal Stance

Heel-off

Traditional Terminology for: preswing

toe-off

RLA Terminology for: Acceleration

Initial Swing

RLA terminology: Midswing

Midswing

RLA Terminology for: Deceleration

Terminal Swing

Traditional Terminology for: Initial Swing

Acceleration

Traditional Terminology for: Midswing

Midswing

Traditional terminology for: Terminal Swing

Deceleration

Forefoot contact (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Initial Contact

• possibly due to heel pain or a plantarflexion contracture.

Trendelenburg

• A deviation during Loading Response

• indicating weak gluteus medius.

• compensated shift over stance leg

Knee collapse (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Loading Response

• indicating weak quadriceps.

Genu recurvatum (Gait Deviation)

• Excessive knee hyperextension during Mid Stance

• indicating weak quadriceps.

Lateral trunk lean (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Mid Stance

• indicating weak gluteus medius

Early heel rise (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Terminal Stance

• indicating tight plantarflexors.

No heel rise (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Terminal Stance

• indicating weak plantarflexors

No toe-off (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Pre-Swing

• due to weak plantarflexors or pain in the forefoot.

Limited hip flexion (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Pre-Swing

• indicating weak iliopsoas

Foot drag (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Initial Swing

• caused by weak dorsiflexors or hip flexors.

Circumduction/Hip hike (Gait Deviation)

• Compensatory strategies used in Initial Swing

• for weak dorsiflexors or hip flexors, uneqyal leg length, knee unable to flex during swing

Toe drag (Gait Deviation)

• A deviation during Mid Swing

• caused by weak dorsiflexors

Excessive hip/knee flexion (Gait Deviation)

A compensation observed during Mid Swing.

Mnemonic for RLA

Stance Phase: “I Like My Tea Presweetened

Swing Phase: In My Teapot”

Mnemonic for Traditional

Stance Phase: “He Forgot My Hot Tea

Swing Phase: And My Drink”

Forward Trunk Lean

weak quadriceps

Backwards Trunk Lean

weak glute max