steppage gait

gait (gāt) the manner or style of walking.

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antalgic gait  a limp adopted so as to avoid pain on weight-bearing structures, characterized by a very short stance phase.

ataxic gait  an unsteady, uncoordinated walk, employing a wide base and the feet thrown out.

festinating gait  a gait in which the patient involuntarily moves with short, accelerating steps, often on tiptoe, as in parkinsonism.

helicopod gait  a gait in which the feet describe half circles, as in some conversion disorders.

hip extensor gait  a gait in which the heel strike is followed by throwing forward of the hip and throwing backward of the trunk and pelvis.

myopathic gait  exaggerated alternation of lateral trunk movements with an exaggerated elevation of the hip.

paraplegic spastic gait  spastic g.

quadriceps gait  a gait in which at each step on the affected leg the knee hyperextends and the trunk lurches forward.

spastic gait  a gait in which the legs are held together and move in a stiff manner, the toes seeming to drag and catch.

steppage gait  the gait in footdrop in which the advancing leg is lifted high so that the toes can clear the ground.

stuttering gait  one characterized by hesitancy that resembles stuttering.

tabetic gait  an ataxic gait that accompanies tabes dorsalis.

waddling gait  myopathic g.

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steppage gait

[step′ij]

Etymology: AS, staepe + ONorse, gata, way

a gait in which the legs are raised abnormally high, as in patients with footdrop.

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steppage gait

Steppage Biomechanics A simple swing phase gait modification, consisting of exaggerated knee and hip flexion to lift the foot higher than usual for ↑ ground clearance; the SG compensates for a plantar flexed ankle, where the dorsiflexors are inadequate to control foot drop. See Foot drop, Gait.