Apraxic Gait

Apraxic Gait:

Due to frontal lobe disorder.

Have difficulty initiating gait (decision to walk is initiated in frontal lobe). Steps are short and shuffling – appear to be ‘frozen’ to the ground and hesitant; foot not lifted from ground during swing; usually need assistance to stay upright and tend to fall backwards; stride length is very short; sudden halt in movement (freezing) can occur; usually once get under way, gait normalised and foot is lifted of ground.

Underlying pathology is not always obvious initially – may be a subcortical atherosclerotic encephalopathy, variant of Parkinson’s disease, hydrocephalus, space occupying lesion