Scissor gait is a form of

gait abnormality Gait abnormality is a deviation from normal walking (gait). Watching a patient walk is the most important part of the neurological examination. Normal gait requires that many systems, including strength, sensation and coordination, function in an ...

primarily associated with

spastic cerebral palsy Spastic cerebral palsy is the type of cerebral palsy characterized by spasticity or high muscle tone often resulting in stiff, jerky movements. Cases of spastic CP are further classified according to the part or parts of the body that are most ...

. That condition and others like it are associated with an upper motor neuron lesion. __TOC__

Presentation

This gait pattern is reminiscent of a marionette. Hypertonia in the legs, hips and pelvis means these areas become flexed to various degrees, giving the appearance of crouching, while tight adductors produce extreme adduction, presented by knees and thighs hitting, or sometimes even crossing, in a scissors-like movement while the opposing muscles, the abductors, become comparatively weak from lack of use. Most common in patients with

, the individual is often also forced to walk on tiptoe unless the

plantarflexor Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relat ...

muscles are released by an orthopedic surgical procedure. These features are most typical with the scissors gait and usually result in some form and to some degree regardless of the mildness or severity of the spastic CP condition: * rigidity and excessive adduction of the leg in swing * plantar flexion of the ankle * flexion at the knee * adduction and internal rotation at the hip * progressive contractures of all spastic muscles * complicated assisting movements of the upper limbs when walking.GP Notebook
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Conditions associated with a scissor gait

* Arthrogryposis * Spastic diplegia * Pernicious anemia * Cerebrovascular accident *

Cervical spondylosis Spondylosis is the degeneration of the vertebral column from any cause. In the more narrow sense it refers to spinal osteoarthritis, the age-related wear and tear of the spinal column, which is the most common cause of spondylosis. The degenera ...

with myelopathy (a problem with the vertebrae in the neck) * Liver failure *

Multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

* Spinal cord trauma * Spinal cord tumor *

Syphilitic meningomyelitis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, and ...

* Syringomyelia * other forms of Cerebral palsy

References

{{Nervous and musculoskeletal system symptoms and signs Cerebral palsy types Gait abnormalities