Posture & Gate Flashcards
(26 cards)
Anterior Static Posture Screen: Facial Structures
Check alignment of:
- Eyes
- Ears
- Nose
- Angles of the jaw (angle of the mandible landmark)
Anterior Static Posture Screen: Trunk and UE Structures
Check alignment of:
- Larger neck muscles
- Acromion
- Clavicle
- Carriage of the arms
- Fingertip length
Anterior Static Posture Screen: Lower Trunk, Pelvis, & LE Structures
Check alignment of:
- Angle of rib cage
- Umbilicus
- Iliac crests
- Greater trochanter
- Knee
- Ankle
Common Anterior Postural Findings: Facial Droop
indicates nerve paralysis/stroke
Common Anterior Postural Findings: Flexed arm held against body
possible nerve damage or splinting due to an injury
Common Anterior Postural Findings: Knees facing inwards
possible bone pathology or due to leg pain
Posterior Static Posture Screen: Head, Neck, & Shoulder Structures
Check alignment of:
- Ears
- Cervical Spine (paravertebral muscle mass)
- Slope of shoulders
- Acromion
- Inferior angle of Scapula
Posterior Static Posture Screen: Trunk & LE Structures
Check alignment of:
- Spinal alignment
- Paraspinal muscles
- Iliac crests
- Greater trochanter
- Popliteal space
- Ankles
Common Posterior Postural Findings
- Scoliosis: alternating unevenness
- Short leg: anatomic vs postural
- Shoulder winging: muscle/nerve weakness, postural
Lordosis
- Anterior apex of curve
- Present in Cervical and Lumbar region of spine
Kyphosis
- Posterior apex of curve
- Present in Thoracic and Sacrum region of spine
Ideal Posture
- structures on or slightly anterior/posterior to gravitational line
Components of Lateral Static Postural Screen
Check alignment (in regards to Gravitational/Plumb Line) of:
- Head carriage
- Shoulder carriage
- Spinal curves
- Knees
- Pelvis
Poor/Hunched Posture
- Lateral Static Posture finding
- Loss or exaggeration of spinal curves
- Large anterior carriage of head and shoulders – chronic MSK pain, muscle or neurologic pathology
Goals of Gait
Move body weight forward with as little energy as possible and without hurting oneself
Challenges to Gait
- Must be able to absorb body weight/forces from ground
- Transfer body weight in an efficient manner
- Convert absorbed forces into forward movement
Stance Phase
(1) Heel Strike: establish stable contact
(2) Loading Response: absorb ground reaction to weight
(3) Mid-stance to Pre-swing: body weight carried forward
Swing Phase
(4) Toe-off
(5) Mid-swing
(6) Terminal swing
Goals of Swing Phase
- clear foot
- advance LE
- prepares LE for loading
Ataxic Gait
- neurologic etiology
- effects both legs (bilateral)
- wide base, irregular steps
- lack of balances/proprioception
- due to: alcohol intoxication, damage to balance centers of brain/spinal cord
Hemiparesis (loss of function) Gait
- neurologic etiology
- effects one leg (unilateral)
- will drag/pull limbs that are stuck in spasm – arm is flexed, leg extended (circumduction)
- due to damage to motor control of brain; common with strokes
Scissor Gait
- neurologic etiology
- bilateral
- leg muscles stiff due to spasm with knees pointing inward
- legs and foot commonly crosses midline
- due to damage at motor part of brain; abnormal brain development or damage at birth (cerebral palsy)
Steppage Gait/Foot Drop
- neurologic etiology
- unilateral
- “hiking” = bending at hip/knee to raise weak leg higher; clears weak foot during swing phase
- due to weakness in a specific nerve causing inability to raise the foot
Parkinsonian Gait
- neurologic etiology
- bilateral
- stiff and stooped over with tremors
- short shuffling gait that speeds up involuntarily (Festinating)
- due to damage in muscle tone/movement initiation center of brain (Parkinsons)
