- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Exercise and The Spine
The Spine and Gait
Methods of Evaluating Gait
There are different methods of evaluating of gait. These methods include:
History and Physical Examination
The physical exam provides information about neurological integrity, muscle strength and joint range of motion. The information obtained from a physical exam is limited because it is usually limited to assessing the patient in a sedentary fashion with the patient sitting or lying down. The gait evaluation becomes a valuable extension of the physical examination.
Visual Gait Analysis
During a gait examination, the attending specialist will observe for movement fluency and symmetry during the various phases of gait. This includes the evaluation of posture, the assessment of arm swing asymmetry, head position, pelvic movement, stride length, and heel-toe strike dynamics. Visual gait assessment is also used to observe for foot pronation and supination.
Plantar Pressure Assessment
Plantar pressure assessment requires that the patient assume a normal stance on a device which performs a scan of the plantar surfaces of the feet. The image data is then transferred to a computer. Color is assigned to various weight bearing areas of the foot creating a color map of the pressure patterns and their relationship to foot anatomy and callus formation.
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The Spine and Gait
Conditions which can lead to Abnormal Gait
- Polyneuropathy
- Vestibular disturbances
- Vision impairment
- Arthritis
- Foot pain
- Pronation
- Bunions
- Medications
- Nerve damage
- Back pain
- Spinal stenosis
- Disc herniation and radiculopathy
Methods of Evaluating Gait
There are different methods of evaluating of gait. These methods include:
- History and physical examination
- Visual gait evaluation
- Plantar pressure assessment
- Force plate assessment
- Quantitative treadmill assessment
- Regional functional assessment
- Video capture and analysis
History and Physical Examination
The physical exam provides information about neurological integrity, muscle strength and joint range of motion. The information obtained from a physical exam is limited because it is usually limited to assessing the patient in a sedentary fashion with the patient sitting or lying down. The gait evaluation becomes a valuable extension of the physical examination.
Visual Gait Analysis
During a gait examination, the attending specialist will observe for movement fluency and symmetry during the various phases of gait. This includes the evaluation of posture, the assessment of arm swing asymmetry, head position, pelvic movement, stride length, and heel-toe strike dynamics. Visual gait assessment is also used to observe for foot pronation and supination.
Plantar Pressure Assessment
Plantar pressure assessment requires that the patient assume a normal stance on a device which performs a scan of the plantar surfaces of the feet. The image data is then transferred to a computer. Color is assigned to various weight bearing areas of the foot creating a color map of the pressure patterns and their relationship to foot anatomy and callus formation.
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