2. Definition
• Locomotion or gait –
– It is defined as a translatory progression of the body as a
whole produce by coordinated, rotatory movements of
body segments.
• Normal gait –
– It is a rhythmic & characterized by alternating propulsive
& retropulsive motions of the lower extremities.
5. Stance phase
• It begins at the instant that one extremity
contacts the ground & continuous only as long
as some portion of the foot is in contact with
the ground.
• It is approx 60% of normal gait duration.
6. Swing phase
• It begins as soon as the toe of one extremity
leaves the ground & ceases just before heel
strike or contact of the same extremity.
• It makes up 40% of normal gait cycle.
7. Double support
• Lower limb of one side of body is beginning its
stance phase & the opposite side is ending its
stance phase.
• During double support both the lower limb are in
contact with the ground at the same time.
• It account approx 22% of gait cycle.
• This phase is absent in running
8. Subdivision of phases
Stance phase –
1) Heel strike
2) Foot flat
3) Mid-stance
4) Heel off
5) Toe off
Swing phase –
1) Acceleration
2) Mid-swing
3) Deceleration
11. Stance phase
• Heel strike phase:
– Begins with initial contact &
ends with foot flat
– It is beginning of the stance
phase when the heel contacts
the ground.
12. Stance phase
• Foot flat:
– It occurs immediately
following heel strike
– It is the point at which the foot
fully contacts the floor.
13. Stance phase
• Mid stance:
– It is the point at which the
body passes directly over the
supporting extremity.
14. Stance phase
• Heel off:
– the point following midstance
at which time the heel of the
reference extremity leaves the
ground.
15. Stance phase
• Toe off:
– The point following heel off
when only the toe of the
reference extremity is in contact
with the ground.
16. Swing phase
• Acceleration phase:
– It begins once the toe leaves the
ground & continues until mid-swing,
or the point at which the swinging
extremity is directly under the body.
17. • Mid-swing:
– It occurs approx when the
extremity passes directly beneath
the body, or from the end of
acceleration to the beginning of
deceleration.
24. Initial contact
• It refer to the initial contact of the foot of
leading lower limb.
• Normally the heel pointed first to contact.
• In abnormal gait it is possible to either
whole foot or toes rather than the heel to
strike.
25. Load response
• Begins at initial contact &
ends when the contra lateral
extremity lifts off the ground
at the end of the double-
support phase.
• It occupies about 11% of gait
26. Mid-stance phase (RLA)
• Begins when the contra-lateral
extremity lifts off the ground at
about 11% of the gait cycle
• Ends when the body is directly
over the supporting limb at
about 30% of the gait cycle.
27. Terminal stance (RLA)
• Begins when the body is
directly over the supporting
limb at about 30% of the gait
cycle
• Ends just before initial contact
of the contra-lateral extremity
at about 50% of the gait cycle.
28. Pre-Swing (RLA)
• It is the last 10% of stance
phase and begins with
initial contact of the contra-
lateral foot (at 50% of the
gait cycle) and ends with
toe-off (at 60%).
29. Initial swing (RLA)
• Begins when the toe leaves
the ground & continues until
max knee flexion occurs.
33. Variables of gait
• There are two basic variables which provide a
basic description of human gait.
– Time/ Temporal variable & Distance variables.
• Provide essential quantitative information about
gait
34. factors affecting variables
• Age,
• Gender,
• Height,
• Size & shape of bony
components,
• Distribution of mass in
body segments,
• Joint mobility,
• Muscle strength,
• Type of clothing &
footwear,
• Habit,
• Psychological status.
35. variables
• Temporal variable –
– Stance time
– Single-limb & double-
support time,
– Swing time,
– Stride and step time,
– Cadence and
– Speed
• Distance variable –
– Stride length,
– Step length and width
– Degree of toe-out
36. • Stance time:
– It is the amount of time that elapses during the
stance phase of one extremity in a gait cycle.
• Single-support time:
– It is the amount of time that elapses during the
period when only one extremity is on the
supporting surface in a gait cycle.
37. • Double-support time:
– It is the amount of time spent with both feet
on the ground during one gait cycle.
– The % of time spent increased in elderly
persons and in those with balance disorders.
– The percentage of time spent decreases as the
speed of walking increases.
38. • Stride length:
– It is the linear distance from the heel strike of one
lower limb to the next heel strike of the same limb.
39. • Step length:
– It is the linear distance from the heel strike of one
lower limb to the next heel strike of opposite limb.
40. • Stride duration:
– It refers to amount of time taken to accomplish
one stride.
– Stride duration and gait cycle duration are
synonymous.
– One stride, for a normal adult, lasts approx 1 sec
41. • Step duration:
– It refers to the amount of time spent during a
single step.
– Measurement usually is expressed as sec/step.
– When weakness or pain in limb, step duration
may be decreased on the affected side and
increased on the unaffected side.
42. • Cadence:
– It is the no of steps taken by a person per unit
of time.
– It is measured as the no of steps / sec or per
minute.
Cadence = Number of steps / Time
43. • Walking velocity:
– It is the rate of linear forward motion of the body,
which can be measured in meters or
cm/second, meters/minute, or miles/hour.
Walking velocity (meters/sec)=Distance walked (meters)/time (sec)
44. • Speed of gait:
– It is referred to as slow, free, and fast.
• Free speed of gait refers to a person’s normal
walking speed
• Slow & fast speeds of gait refer to speeds slower or
faster than the person’s normal comfortable walking
speed, designated in a variety of ways.
45. • Step width or width of the
walking base:
– It is the measure of linear
distance between the midpoint of
the heel of one foot and the same
point on the other foot
46. • Degree of toe-out (DTO):
– It represents the angle of foot formed by each
foot’s line of progression and a line intersecting
the centre of the heel and the second toe.
– The angle for men is about 70 from the line of
progression of each foot at free speed walking.
– The DTO decreases as the speed of walking
increases in normal men.
