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Gait Phases Kinetics Kinema Tics
Gait Phases Kinetics Kinema Tics
Overview of biomechanics
Temporal and spatial measures
Phases of gait
Determinants of gait
Functional tasks during gait and the three rockers
Overview of Biomechanics
Of all human movements, walking has by far received the most study. What we learn from
biomechanical analyses of walking provides a framework for studying all kinds of movements, such as
reaching and grasping, sucking, mastication and swallowing, and movements of the eyes. Even for those
clinicians who will not directly treat gait deviations, an understanding of gait biomechanics and a familiarity
with normal gait will provide a quick window into the patients level of function because gait is such a
common and readily observable activity that involves so much of the body.
Temporal and Spatial Measures
Temporal and spatial measures examine global aspects of gait. Because gait is a cyclical activity, the
basic assumption is that one step is essentially the same as the next. Thus, a parameter such as stride length
is expected to be characteristic of the persons overall walking performance, not just the step(s) measured.
The sections in Joint Structure and Function provide good descriptions of the basic temporal and spatial
measures of gait. The following list serves as a repository for notes and definitions.
Stride Duration (cycle duration, cycle period)
Stance Time (stance duration)
Swing Time (swing duration)
Single Support Time
Double Support Time
Stride Length
Step Length
Base of Support Width
Degree of Toe Out
Cadence
Velocity
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Phases of Gait
Gait, particularly walking, is a cyclic phenomenon that can be divided into segments, or phases. Two
sets of terminology are currently in use: the traditional terminology and the Rancho Los Amigos (RLA)
system. The traditional terminology developed as interest in gait rehabilitation mounted after WWII in the
effort to improve lower extremity prosthetics. It describes gait in terms of discreet, momentary events, such
as heelstrike, heel rise, and toe-off. The Rancho Los Amigos (RLA) terminology became increasingly
popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is currently assuming a position as the preferred standard
among clinicians. It describes gait more in terms of processes or segments of time, such as loading
response, terminal stance, and pre-swing, and because it is semantically more generic and better
encompasses the common features of normal and pathological gait. T traditional terminology uses the term
heel strike where the RLA system uses the term initial contact to refer to the instant when the limb
contacts the ground. Initial contact applies equally well to the gait of a child with cerebral palsy who
actually makes contact with the toes as it does to the gait of a person with an amputated lower extremity or a
person without disability who makes contact with the heel. In communicating with your colleagues and
to understand the published literature, however, you will need to be fluent in both nomenclatures. The
section in Joint Structure and Function does an excellent job of comparing the nomenclatures, and of
course, the source of the RLA terminology is the Observational Gait Analysis book. Please study these
sources (pg. 5 in Obs. Gait Anal. and pp. 450-456 in N & L).
While the phases of gait defined in the RLA terminology are fine for walking, which is usually the focus
of medical rehabilitation, additional nomenclature applies when studying running, which may be important
in a sports-related, orthopedic practice. For both walking and running, stance gets much shorter and swing
gets slightly shorter as speed increases. Thus, as speed increases, the proportion of the cycle devoted to
stance decreases and the proportion of the cycle devoted to swing increases. For very fast sprinting, the
absolute duration of swing may actually begin to increase as extremely high speeds are reached.
The next ten plates are taken from a computer program, GAIT TUTORIAL, created by Roger Allen, Mark
Guthrie, and John Buford. (Gait Tutorial was created on Macintosh HyperCard, a program that almost no one
has anymore). The plates provide graphic and written descriptions of the RLA phases of gait. Please also
study the corresponding sections in Observational Gait Analysis, and Norkin & Levangie or Oatis.
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Determinants of Gait
The determinants of gait are a group of 5 features of an individuals gait that interact dynamically to
govern the vertical and horizontal displacement of the center of mass, and hence, profoundly influence
efficiency. Consult Joint Structure and Function along with the following descriptions.
LATERAL PELVIC TILT IN THE FRONTAL PLANE.
A controlled, intended pelvic drop ipsilateral to the swinging limb during the time of single limb support.
The pelvic drop is maximal at the time when the center of mass (COM) reaches its maximal vertical extent.
Hip abductors on the side of the stance limb contract eccentrically to allow the intended extent of controlled
pelvic drop. The primary function of lateral pelvic tilt, also known as pelvic obliquity, is to control the
vertical excursion of the COM.
Act during the loading response (early in stance) and preswing (at the end of stance) to vary the effective
length of the limb. They make the limbs longer than they would otherwise be so that the COM does not
fall quite so far before contact is achieved (or lost). While one limb hastens the onset of heel contact with
a dorsiflexed ankle, the opposite limb delays the time of toe off with a plantarflexed ankle. These events
occur concurrent with the lowest vertical position and the maximal upward acceleration of the COM as its
descent ends and ascent begins during double support.
Mechanically coupled with the advancement of the limb during swing and the progression of limb during
stance. That is, as the right limb swings forward, the right side of the pelvis also moves forward so that the
pelvis rotates to the left. During stance for the right limb, the pelvis rotates to the right. Like the knee,
ankle, foot interactions, pelvic rotation in the transverse plane prolongs stance by hastening the onset of heel
contact and delaying the time of toe off. This action extends the stride length and further modulates
effective limb length to limit the drop of the COM.
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HEEL ROCKER.
Lasts from initial contact to the time of foot flat. Its function is to translate the vertical component of the
ground reaction force into forward progression of the tibia through the link provided by the eccentric action
of tibialis anterior.
ANKLE ROCKER.
Lasts from the time of foot flat to heel rise. Its function is to control the rate of forward progression of the
body as the tibia rotates at the ankle joint over the fixed foot under the eccentric control of the triceps surae.
FOREFOOT ROCKER.
Lasts from heel rise until the end of stance. It functions to extend the period of ground contact via the
gastrocnemius to exploit the GRF vectors helpful influence on swing initiation.
Study Exercises
1. Practice drawing the stick figures at the various phases of the gait cycle, labeling them with the phase of
gait and the percentage of the gait cycle at which the limb would assume that configuration.
2. Given the phase of the ipsilateral limb, be able to name the phase of the contralateral limb.
3. List the determinants of gait along with their functions in controlling the COM. For each determinant,
specify the RLA phase(s) of gait during which they operate.
4. Associate the three rockers with the functional tasks during gait.
5. Take a stop-watch and a tape measure and compare some of the spatio-temporal measures of gait for
friends and relatives of various sizes and ages.
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HIP CURVE
KNEE CURVE
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ANKLE CURVE
ALL CURVES
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Ancillary Motions
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Ancillary motions are mainly aimed at conservation of energy, shock absorption, and behavioral goals (e.g.,
being able to look where you're going).
PELVIC TILT
Pelvic tilt is a sagittal plane motion akin to flexion and extension in the lower extremities. During walking,
the position of the pelvis remains within a few degrees of 15 of anterior tilt. The pattern of pelvic tilt
motion is biphasic, with an excursion of 4 from the average position. Throughout most of swing the
posterior tilt of the pelvis increases (you would say the pelvis is tilting posteriorly). Just before initial
contact this reverses and the pelvis begins tilting anteriorly. Then very early in midstance the pelvis begins
tilting posteriorly (which makes sense since this is the beginning of swing phase on the contralateral side,
and as stated two sentences previously, throughout most of swing the posterior tilt of the pelvis increases).
PELVIC OBLIQUITY
Pelvic obliquity is analogous to ab- and adduction at the hip, and indeed, the patterns are so similar that the
description for hip ab-adduction can almost be substituted for pelvic obliquity. The basic feature of pelvic
obliquity is that the pelvis is higher on the stance side than on the swing side. The orientation angle of the
pelvis in the frontal plane varies 4 from neutral, with the reference side highest relative to the opposite
side at the end of the loading response, and conversely, lowest at the onset of swing.
PELVIC ROTATION
The pattern of pelvic rotation is symmetrical. The pelvis rotates externally from initial contact until the
onset of preswing, the first 50% of the cycle, and internally during preswing and swing, the second 50%.
The excursion is 10 from neutral. This basic pattern follows the advancement and retraction of the limb
during swing and stance.
TRUNK COUNTER-ROTATION AND RECIPROCAL ARM SWING.
When the reference hip girdle is forward for initial contact, the same shoulder girdle is positioned
posteriorly. This preparatory posture helps offset the braking impulse created by sheer of the foot at
contact, which in driving the hip backward, tends to pitch the trunk forward. By having that side of the
body positioned posteriorly when contact is made, the body has room to allow for some pitch without letting
the COM get too far out in front of the supporting limbs. Reciprocal arm swing follows counter-rotation, so
that not only is that shoulder girdle positioned posteriorly, but the whole arm is hanging back. Thus,
while the reference extremity is moving forward, the ipsilateral arm and its shoulder girdle are moving
backward. While reciprocal arm swing is a conspicuous feature of normal gait and asymmetries in
reciprocal arm swing can be powerful indicators of gait deviations, that fact remains that a person with
bilateral shoulder-disarticulating amputations will have little trouble walking.
HEAD-ON-BODY MOVEMENTS.
Slight head and neck rotation keep the face forward by canceling trunk counter-rotation. This keeps the
eyes oriented towards the goal. During turning, head rotation will be offset to help maintain gaze fixation
on the target. Indeed, the eyes drive head position, and as long as the vertical orientation is not too
confusing to your gravitational reference, you can look pretty much anywhere you want while walking.
Nonetheless, its still good to look where youre going.
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Summary
Movements of all four limbs and of the head and trunk are coordinated during walking. There are detailed
kinematic measures in the literature for most joints and or segments you might need to research. The data
provided here and in your texts should provide you with all you need for most practical situations.
Study Exercises
1. Set up a table with the following columns and fill in the data for the hip, knee, and ankle in the sagittal
plane:
Joint
RLA phase
Starting position
Ending position
Arc(s) of motion
Peak(s) reached
hip
terminal stance
5 flexion
10 extension
15 extension
Peak extension @ 10
...
2. Learn to draw the hip, knee, and ankle-joint range of motion graphs for the sagittal plane from memory.
By memorizing the peaks and when they occur, you can learn to do this with surprising accuracy with a
relatively short list of numbers in your head and a general image of how the plots should look.
3. Describe hip ab/adduction, int/external rotation, MTP dorsi/plantarflexion, and subtalar in/eversion in
terms of the operating ranges of motion associated with normal function, i.e., the peak positions, and the
times when those peaks occur.
4. Describe the coordination of head, trunk, and arm motion for normal walking.
5. Describe the major kinematic events associated with the following functional tasks during gait:
Weight Acceptance
Single Limb Support
Weight Transfer (Contralateral Weight Acceptance)
Limb Advancement
6. Take the Obs. Gait Anal. book and find a place where you can watch a lot of people walk by. Study the
graphs and learn to recognize how they illustrate the movements you see during normal walking.
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