ABSTRACT
The observation of gait is probably the single most informative part of the neurological
examination. It provides you with an opportunity to see the patient as a whole. Muscle
weakness, impairment of balance, sensory loss, involuntary movements, abnormalities of
posture, even mood disturbance and dementia may all leave a distinctive imprint on the
way we walk. Gait is sadly neglected, yet the extra few moments taken to observe it are
rarely wasted. In some diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease,1 the gait is so distinctive that
the diagnosis is clear as the patient walks into the room. To benefit from observing gait,
you must train your eye to take a note of a number of key features (listed below). In this
chapter, a number of gaits are described and illustrated on video.
