ABSTRACT
Human gait is the pattern of movement of the body when involved in bipedal locomotion. This chapter describes the features of normal gait and the means by which it is evaluated, before discussing some of the abnormal patterns which characterize certain disorders. The development of bipedal gait may have allowed humans to use their upper limbs, but it creates problems of stability. Normal gait is the result of a complex series of muscle actions that produce efficient forward movement of the body without sacrificing stability. The gait cycle comprises a stance phase and a swing phase. The assessment of gait and the identification of any deviation from normal is known as gait analysis. Video recordings make it possible to study the gait pattern more effectively and without tiring the subject. Gait deviations seen in neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, polio and myelodysplasia are complex and varied.
