CO Gait Analysis & Lower Extremity Biomechanics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Trendelenburg gait is characterized by which of the following findings during single limb stance?
- Ipsilateral trunk lean toward the stance limb
- Contralateral pelvic drop on the swing limb side (Correct answer)
- Excessive knee flexion on the stance side
- Circumduction of the stance limb
Correct answer: Contralateral pelvic drop on the swing limb side
In Trendelenburg gait, weak hip abductors on the stance side allow the contralateral pelvis to drop during single limb support.
Question 2: A patient with foot drop (weak or absent dorsiflexors) most commonly exhibits which compensatory gait pattern?
- Antalgic gait
- Trendelenburg gait
- Steppage gait (Correct answer)
- Scissor gait
Correct answer: Steppage gait
Steppage gait involves exaggerated hip and knee flexion during swing to clear the foot from the ground when dorsiflexion is absent.
Question 3: Scissor gait, characterized by hip adduction and internal rotation crossing the midline during swing, is most commonly associated with which condition?
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (Correct answer)
- Hip osteoarthritis
- Lumbar disc herniation
Correct answer: Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy
Scissor gait results from bilateral lower extremity spasticity affecting hip adductors and internal rotators, classically seen in spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
Question 4: Antalgic gait is best described as a gait pattern in which:
- The stance phase is shortened on the painful limb to minimize time bearing weight (Correct answer)
- The hip drops on the contralateral side during stance
- The patient rises on the toes to assist limb clearance
- The swing limb is circumducted to avoid knee flexion
Correct answer: The stance phase is shortened on the painful limb to minimize time bearing weight
Antalgic gait is a pain-avoidance pattern where the patient minimizes stance time on the affected limb, resulting in an asymmetric, shortened stance phase.
Question 5: A 'vaulting' gait deviation occurs when the patient:
- Leans the trunk laterally toward the affected side
- Rises onto the toes of the stance limb to provide clearance for the swing limb (Correct answer)
- Swings the swing limb in a wide lateral arc
- Hyperextends the knee during mid-stance
Correct answer: Rises onto the toes of the stance limb to provide clearance for the swing limb
Vaulting is a compensatory strategy where the patient plantar flexes the stance limb to raise the body and provide clearance for a swing limb that cannot shorten adequately.
Question 6: When the quadriceps are severely weak during mid-stance, which gait deviation is most commonly observed?
- Crouch gait
- Forward trunk flexion or knee recurvatum (hyperextension) (Correct answer)
- Steppage gait
- Trendelenburg gait
Correct answer: Forward trunk flexion or knee recurvatum (hyperextension)
With weak quadriceps, patients either lean the trunk forward to move the ground reaction force anterior to the knee, or allow the knee to hyperextend to passively lock the joint.
Question 7: Circumduction gait deviation most commonly results from:
- Weakness of the hip abductors
- Excessive ankle plantar flexor strength
- An inability to adequately shorten the swing limb through flexion (Correct answer)
- Excessive dorsiflexion range of motion
Correct answer: An inability to adequately shorten the swing limb through flexion
Circumduction occurs when the swing limb cannot shorten sufficiently (due to stiffness, brace length, or muscle weakness), so the patient swings the leg in a lateral arc to achieve ground clearance.
CO Gait Analysis & Lower Extremity Biomechanics 2
Trendelenburg gait is characterized by which of the following findings during single limb stance?