Spastic gait is an abnormal way of walking characterized by stiff and weak legs, dragging feet or toes, and lack of flexibility. It can be caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke, brain tumors, or multiple sclerosis. Treatment includes exercises, leg braces, shoe splints, walkers, medications, and surgery.
A spastic gait is an abnormality in the way a person walks. When a person has this type of gait, their legs are typically weak and abnormally stiff. While walking, he brings his legs closer together than normal, drags his feet or toes, and lacks the flexibility typical of the ankles and knees. Often, people with cerebral palsy exhibit this type of walking. However, other conditions, including brain tumors and multiple sclerosis, can also contribute to this type of walking; it can also develop after a person has had a stroke.
When a person has this type of gait, the legs, toes, and feet are stiffer than normal. He usually doesn’t flex his muscles or bend his legs while walking. Instead, long-term muscle contractions usually affect one side of his body and cause him to drag a foot or toes when he walks.
There are several conditions that can be associated with this gait. Some people, for example, have this gait abnormality as one of the symptoms of cerebral palsy, although it doesn’t affect everyone with the condition. An individual can also develop it after suffering a stroke or due to a brain abscess. In some cases, spastic gait is even associated with brain tumors or multiple sclerosis.
There are treatments for this condition, although they may not cure a person with this gait abnormality. Instead, many of them help encourage a more typical walking pattern. For example, the exercises are often used to treat a person with a spastic gait. A physical therapist typically provides these exercises and instructs patients how to do them at home.
Many doctors recommend that people with this gait abnormality use two types of exercises: passive and active. When another person assists the movements of a person with a spastic gait, it is referred to as passive exercise. If the person performs the movements on their own, these are called active exercises.
Leg braces can also be used to keep a person’s legs and feet in the correct position as they stand up and walk. Shoe splints can be used for the same purposes. If a person has balance issues while walking or standing, a walker may also prove helpful in addressing this gait abnormality.
Sometimes medications can also be used to treat this gait problem. For example, drugs can be used to reduce muscle contraction, but the effects of many drugs are still being studied. Surgery can also be used in the most severe cases.
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