Are you heading towards an abnormal gait? Let’s find out!
Gait is the pattern in which you walk. Sometimes, an underlying medical condition or injury can cause an abnormal gait. You might notice that you’ve started dragging your toes when taking high steps, walking, or feeling off balance.
An abnormal gait is essentially a change to your walking pattern. Now, we obviously recognize that everyone’s natural walking style is unique. But certain conditions can affect the way you walk. Anything that affects your spinal cord, brain, legs, or feet can change your gait.
Since it has been reported that Joe Biden has a condition affecting his gait, The Lasting Health searched for anything related to this matter to keep seniors informed. On that note, here are 7 gait abnormalities you need to know about and if YOU should seek help.
I am surprised that your list of reasons for gait abnormalities did not include normal pressure hydrocephalus. I started involuntarily shuffling my feet and had diminished stride In my early seventies. When I took Anatomy and Physiology in college, the instructor told us that some people with brain injuries could not stride more than 12 inches when walking. In addition to stride changes, I found it increasingly difficult to organize and reason. I couldn’t put together a report for my work. A CT scan revealed a significantly enlarged third ventricle. I had an ETV performed by image-guided surgery to form a drainage path through scar tissue that blocked the flow of CNS in my third ventricle at OHSU in Portland. I got immediate relief and have no gait or mental confusion symptoms for the last 10 years.