Walking abnormalities are unusual and uncontrollable walk patterns, usually caused by diseases or injuries to the legs, feet, brain, spine, or inner ear.
Alternative Names:
Gait abnormalities
Considerations:
The pattern of how a person walks is called their gait. Many different types of walking abnormalities are produced unconsciously. Most, but not all, are due to some physical condition.
Some walking abnormalities are so characteristic that they have been given descriptive names:
Propulsive gait -- a stooped, rigid posture, with the head and neck bent forward
Scissors gait -- legs flexed slightly at the hips and knees, giving the appearance of crouching, with the knees and thighs hitting or crossing in a scissors-like movement
Spastic gait -- a stiff, foot-dragging walk caused by one-sided, long-term, muscle contraction
Steppage gait -- foot drop where the foot hangs with the toes pointing down, causing the toes to scrape the ground while walking
Waddling gait -- a distinctive duck-like walk that may appear in childhood or later in life
Abnormal gait may be caused by diseases in many different areas of the body. For example:
Vestibular disorders (the inner ear is responsible for maintaining balance, and damage results in vertigo)
Review Date: 2/15/2005
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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