cerebellar gait

cerebellar gait

n.

A staggering gait, often with a tendency to fall.

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cerebellar gait

Etymology: L, cerebellum, small brain; ONorse, geta, a way

a staggering gait in which the person walks with a wide base and has difficulty turning. The feet can be turned outward, and the person puts his or her weight first on the heel and then on the toes. The condition is caused by a lesion in the cerebellum or cerebellar pathways. Also called ataxic gait.

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gait (gāt),

n a manner of walking; a cyclic loss and regaining of balance by a shift of the line of gravity in relationship to the center of gravity. A person's gait is as characteristic and as individual as a fingerprint.

gait, cerebellar,

n an unsteady, irregular gait characterized by short steps and a lurching from one side to the other; most commonly seen in multiple sclerosis or other cerebellar diseases.

gait, festinating,

n a gait characterized by rigidity, shuffling, and involuntary hastening. The upper part of the body advances ahead of the lower part. It is associated with paralysis agitans and postencephalitic Parkinson's syndrome.

gait, sensor ataxic,

n an irregular, uncertain, stamping gait. The legs are kept far apart, and either the ground or the feet are watched, because there has been a loss of knowledge of the position of the lower limbs. This gait is caused by an interruption of the afferent nerve fibers and may be associated with tabes dorsalis and sometimes with multiple sclerosis and other lesions of the nervous system.

gait, spastic,

n (creeping palsy) a slow, shuffling gait in which the patient appears to be wading in water. Knee and hip movements are restricted. This gait may be associated with multiple sclerosis, syphilis, combined systemic disease, or other diseases affecting the spinal pyramidal tracts.

gait, staggering,

n a reeling, tottering, and tipping gait in which the individual appears as if he may fall backward or lose his balance. It is associated with alcohol and barbiturate intoxication.

gait, waddling,

n an exaggerated alteration of lateral trunk movements, with an exaggerated elevation of the hip, suggesting the gait of a duck; characteristic of progressive muscular dystrophy.