Locomotion, also known as gait, involves coordinated movements of the body segments to allow for translatory progression. There are five main tasks of walking identified by Winter: maintenance of support and balance, control of foot trajectory, generation of energy, and absorption of shock. Gait initiation is a stereotyped activity that takes approximately 0.60 seconds and involves a series of events from the beginning of body movement to the start of the gait cycle. The gait cycle consists of the stance phase, where the foot is in contact with the ground, and the swing phase, where it is not. Stance phase makes up approximately 60% of the normal gait cycle and swing phase 40%.

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.
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3. TASKS
• Maintenance of support of HAT
• Maintenance of the upright posture and balance of the body
• Control of the foot trajectory to achieve safe ground clearance and gentle heel or toe
landing.
• Generation of the mechanical energy to maintain the present forward velocity or to
increase forward velocity
• Absorption of the mechanical energy for shock absorption and stability or to decrease
the forward velocity of the body
Winter proposed the following five tasks for walking
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4. TASK INVOLVES IN WALKING
According to “rancho los amigos” (RLA), california
•Weight acceptance
•Single limb support
•Swing limb advance
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5. GAIT INITIATION
• A series of events occur from the initiation of body movt to beginning of gait cycle.
• It is stereotyped activity in both young & old healthy people.
• Total duration of this phase is about – 0.60sec
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6. KINEMATICS OF GAIT
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7. PHASES OF GAIT
• Stance phase
• Swing phase
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8. 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.
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9. 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.
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10. STANCE PHASE
• Heel strike
• Foot flat
• Mid-stance
• Heel off
• Toe off
SWING PHASE
• Acceleration
• Mid-swing
• Deceleration
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11. COMPARISON OF GAIT TERMINOLOGY
•Traditional –
1) Heel strike
2) Foot flat
3) Mid-stance
4) Heel off
5) Toe off
6) Acceleration
7) Mid-swing
8) Deceleration
•RLA –
1) Initial contact
2) Loading response
3) Mid-stance
4) Terminal stance
5) Pre-swing
6) Initial swing
7) Mid-swing
8) Terminal swing
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12. TRADITIONAL PHASES OF GAIT
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13. 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.
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14. STANCE PHASE
• Foot flat:
• It occurs immediately following heel strike
• It is the point at which the foot fully
contacts the floor.
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15. STANCE PHASE
• Mid stance:
• It is the point at which the body passes
directly over the supporting extremity.
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16. STANCE PHASE
• Heel off:
• The point following mid stance at which
time the heel of the reference extremity
leaves the ground.
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17. STANCE PHASE
• Toe off:
• The point following heel off when only the
toe of the reference extremity is in
contact with the ground.
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18. 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.
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19. • Mid-swing:
• It occurs approx when the extremity
passes directly beneath the body, or from
the end of acceleration to the beginning
of deceleration.
SWING PHASE
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20. • Deceleration:
• It occurs after mid-swing when limb is
decelerating in preparation for heel strike.
SWING PHASE
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21. SUB-DIVISIONS OF STANCE PHASE
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22. SUB DIVISION OF SWING PHASE
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23. RLA PHASES OF GAIT
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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.
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25. LOADING 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
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26. MID STANCE
• 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.
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27. TERMINAL STANCE
• 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.
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28. PRE SWING
• 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%).
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29. INITIAL SWING
• Begins when the toe leaves the ground &
continues until max knee flexion occurs.
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30. MID SWING
• Encompasses the period from maximum
knee flexion until the tibia is in a vertical
position.
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31. TERMINAL SWING
• Includes the period from the point at
which the tibia is in the vertical position to
a point just before initial contact.
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