THE GAIT CYCLE Gait is the state of ones’ locomotion or ambulation which involves their lower extremity (especially in normal walking), while their trunk and arms provide balance and stability. The quicker the person moves, the more they rely on their trunk and upper body for compulsion and also for stability and balance. The lower limbs still do most of the work, since the muscles of the lower limb give greater response and joints giving a greater range of motion. Three major joints of the lower extremity as well as the pelvis work hand in hand as the propulsion and muscles move the body forward. How much the body’s center of gravity moves while propelling forward defines efficiency. The gait cycle is pattern that is repeated which involves strides and steps. A stride involves the entire cycle of gait and a step involves just one simple step. In step, we have step time and step width, step time is the time taken for one foot hitting the floor and the other foot hitting the floor whereas step width is the distance between the both feet. The gait cycle is constructed by two phases which themselves are divide into periods. This includes the stance phase and the swing phase. …show more content…
This takes place when foot is in contact with the ground, it starts with a heel strike and concludes with the toe-off of the exact foot. The phase is divided into five periods: initial contact; Loading response; Mid. stance; Terminal stance and Pre