NCS Balance and Gait Rehabilitation 3

Question 1

A patient with Parkinson's disease presents with short, shuffling steps, reduced arm swing, and a forward-flexed trunk posture. This is best classified as:

Accepted Answer

Parkinsonian (hypokinetic) gait

Answer

Parkinsonian gait (hypokinetic gait) is characterized by reduced stride length, shuffling steps, diminished arm swing, and camptocormia (forward trunk flexion) reflecting basal ganglia dysfunction.

Question 2

Freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson's disease most commonly occurs during which situations?

Accepted Answer

Gait initiation, turning, and passing through narrow spaces

Answer

FOG is triggered by attentional demands or sensorimotor conflict, occurring most at gait initiation, during turns, in narrow spaces (doorways), and at destinations.

Question 3

Which cueing strategy has the strongest evidence for managing freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease?

Accepted Answer

Rhythmic auditory stimulation using a metronome

Answer

Rhythmic auditory stimulation provides an external temporal cue that bypasses the defective internal rhythm-generation mechanism in the basal ganglia to initiate and sustain gait.

Question 4

A post-stroke patient with spastic hemiplegia swings the affected leg in a wide lateral arc during the swing phase. This compensatory pattern is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Circumduction

Answer

Circumduction (lateral arc swing) compensates for inadequate hip and knee flexion during swing phase, allowing foot clearance in the presence of spastic hemiplegia.

Question 5

In multiple sclerosis, which gait change is most characteristic of central fatigue during prolonged walking?

Accepted Answer

Progressive foot drop and reduced cadence worsening over time

Answer

MS central fatigue causes progressive deterioration in gait quality with sustained activity, most commonly manifesting as worsening foot drop and declining cadence as the walk continues.

(NCS) Neurologic Clinical Specialist Practice Test

(NCS) Neurologic Clinical Specialist Practice Test

NCS Balance and Gait Rehabilitation 3