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Gait Patterns Characteristic of Nervous System Pathologies Provide Teaching Opportunities in Anatomy
Author(s) -
Topp Kimberly S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a83-c
Subject(s) - gait , physical medicine and rehabilitation , gait cycle , medicine , spasticity , weakness , presentation (obstetrics) , lower limb , stroke (engine) , physical therapy , anatomy , surgery , mechanical engineering , physics , kinematics , classical mechanics , engineering
The lower limb is designed for weight bearing and movement of the body across a surface using the least amount of energy. Impairments in the lower limb or in the central nervous system can significantly impact an individual's mobility and energy expenditure during ambulation, particularly when navigating across uneven surfaces and around obstacles. Differential diagnosis of the clinical problem and design of a clinical intervention is dependent, in part, on the practitioner's understanding of the pathology and it's impact on the gait cycle. This presentation will describe the compensatory strategies observed in individuals with common pathologies of the lower limb, including weakness of the dorsiflexor, quadriceps or gluteal muscles. Additionally, we will discuss characteristic gait patterns seen in individuals with disorders of the central nervous system, including Parkinson's disease, stroke and spasticity of muscle groups in the lower limbs secondary to brain or spinal cord injury. Teaching opportunities are present in each of the gait patterns and may be used to facilitate students' learning of normal anatomy and normal human gait.