General Overview Of Gait Disorders

Gait is the manner in which an individual walks. Gait disorders are thought to affect 10% of people between the ages of 60-69. However, this increases to 60% in individuals over the age of 80. This highlights the effect that aging can have upon gait in older adults. Gait disorders have been identified as one of the most consistent risk factors for falling in older adults. Gait speed is also a strong indicator of general health in older adults. There are two main phases of the gait cycle: the stance phase and the swing phase. The stance phase can be further divided into the heel strike, foot flat, midstance and heel off. Additionally, the swing phase can be divided into the toe off and midswing. Frequent measures of gait include walking speed, cadence and stride length. In a normal cycle, the stance phase accounts for 60% of the cycle, and the swing phase 40%. Abnormalities in gait are often recognizable due to deviation from this, either via increased swing or stance phase preference General Overview Of Gait Disorders

Causes of gait disorders include sarcopenia, neurological impairments, orthopaedic problems, as well as other medical conditions such as obesity. Common causes in older adults are poor vision and osteoarthritis of the hips and knees. Furthermore, medication can affect gait, particularly polypharmacy involving benzodiazepines and sedatives. As stated earlier, sarcopenia is the age-related decrease in muscle tissue. This is associated with decreased muscle function. Functions of skeletal muscle include assisting limb movement and supporting posture and balance. These functions are fundamental to the gait cycle.General Overview Of Gait Disorders

Electromyography research has identified that leg muscle groups such as the calves, gluteals, quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as muscles in the trunk such as the erector spinae and the abdominal muscles are heavily utilized within normal gait. For example, neuropathic gait is an abnormality whereby an individual shall exhibit a high stepping gait. This is due to the inability to dorsiflex the ankle joint within the swing phase. The muscles which work to dorsiflex the foot include the tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, and the extensor digitorum longus. Sarcopenia may reduce the functionality of these muscles, causing neuropathic gait. Similarly, mypoathic gait is identifiable via circumduction of the leg within the swing phase, and is suggested to be caused by weakness in the proximal muscles of the pelvic girdle.