Gait Analysis
Gait cycle analysis
As mentioned before, gait cycle is just the activity that occurs between the time one foot touches a surface and the time the same foot makes contact with that surface again. In Dr. Pedro Vera Luna’s book “Biomecánica de la marcha humana normal y patológica”, he describes it as “a series of alternating, rhythmic, limb and trunk movements which determine a forward displacement of the centre of gravity”. In my opinion, it’s a well rounded definition. The gait cycle is a key element in most of people’s lives. It’s what allows us to go from point A to point B and back again. You might speed it up if you are happy or late for a meeting, and slow it down if you are dreading a lunch date with your in-laws or feeling sad. Hence, your emotions can change your walking pattern to a degree. However, the elements that make up the gait cycle will be there all the same, no matter what. In it, we not only include our legs, we make use of all our limbs and trunk; posture, coordination and balance playing a key role in our stride.
We’ve talked long enough of the components which are the makeup of the gait cycle or stride, so what are they? Well, the gait cycle can be divided into two phases; the stance phase and the swing phase. Each one of these has components of their own, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First, it’s important to get down some basic concepts for better understanding later on. When talking about a stride length, we are referring to the distance traveled during the gait cycle or stride. A step is half a stride; it begins when the heel of one foot touches the floor and end when the heel of the other foot does so. This distance is referred to as the step length. Remember running late for that meeting? This will increase with your walking speed. Respectively, when you are dragging yourself to that lunch with your in-laws, your step length will decrease. However, regardless of your speed, in a normal stride your step length will remain the
As mentioned before, gait cycle is just the activity that occurs between the time one foot touches a surface and the time the same foot makes contact with that surface again. In Dr. Pedro Vera Luna’s book “Biomecánica de la marcha humana normal y patológica”, he describes it as “a series of alternating, rhythmic, limb and trunk movements which determine a forward displacement of the centre of gravity”. In my opinion, it’s a well rounded definition. The gait cycle is a key element in most of people’s lives. It’s what allows us to go from point A to point B and back again. You might speed it up if you are happy or late for a meeting, and slow it down if you are dreading a lunch date with your in-laws or feeling sad. Hence, your emotions can change your walking pattern to a degree. However, the elements that make up the gait cycle will be there all the same, no matter what. In it, we not only include our legs, we make use of all our limbs and trunk; posture, coordination and balance playing a key role in our stride.
We’ve talked long enough of the components which are the makeup of the gait cycle or stride, so what are they? Well, the gait cycle can be divided into two phases; the stance phase and the swing phase. Each one of these has components of their own, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First, it’s important to get down some basic concepts for better understanding later on. When talking about a stride length, we are referring to the distance traveled during the gait cycle or stride. A step is half a stride; it begins when the heel of one foot touches the floor and end when the heel of the other foot does so. This distance is referred to as the step length. Remember running late for that meeting? This will increase with your walking speed. Respectively, when you are dragging yourself to that lunch with your in-laws, your step length will decrease. However, regardless of your speed, in a normal stride your step length will remain the