Walking abnormalities

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If there is any sign of uncontrollable and unexplained gait abnormalities, call your health care provider.

The health care provider will take a medical history and perform a physical examination.

Medical history questions may include:

• Time pattern
  • When did this problem with walking begin?
  • Did it occur suddenly or gradually?
  • Has it become worse over time?
• Quality (type of gait disturbance)
  • Scissors gait (flexed hips and knees, legs cross each other)
  • Steppage gait (foot drops, toes scrape ground)
  • Spastic gait (stiff, foot-dragging walk)
  • Propulsive gait (stooped, rigid posture, with head and neck bent forward)
• Other symptoms
  • Is there pain?
  • If there is pain, is it in the muscles, joints, spine, or other location?
  • Is there a fever?
  • Is there pain in the testicles?
  • Does there appear to be muscle wasting (atrophy)?
  • Is there any paralysis?
  • Are there any muscle spasms?
  • Are there joint deformities?
  • Has there been a recent infection?
• Medications
  • What medications are being taken?
• Injury history
  • Have there been any recent or past leg injuries?
  • If there was a leg injury, what type? Was it a broken bone, dislocation, or burn?
  • Has the person had any head injuries, especially one that led to a coma?
  • Has the person had any spinal injuries or nerve injuries?
• Illness history
  • Are there any known blood vessel problems?
  • Are there any known illnesses such as polio, meningitis, myositis, tumors, or stroke?
  • Have there been any recent infections, including abscesses?
  • Does the person have hemophilia?
  • Has the person been exposed to carbon monoxide?
• Treatments
  • Have there been any recent vaccinations?
  • Has there been a recent surgery?
  • Has there been any chemotherapy or radiation therapy?
• Self and family history
  • Are there any known birth defects, such as spina bifida, myelomeningocele, or hip dysplasia?
  • Is there a history of cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy?
  • Has anyone in the family had multiple sclerosis?
  • Has the affected person had any growth problems?
  • Are the legs different lengths?
  • Is there a known problem with scoliosis?

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The physical examination will include muscle, bone, and nervous system examination. The health care provider will decide which tests to do based on the results of the physical examination.

Review Date: 02/05/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).