Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
3-7-2023
Journal
Toxins
Abstract
Stiff knee gait (SKG) is defined as decreased knee flexion during the swing phase. It is one of the most common gait disorders following stroke. Knee extensor spasticity is commonly accepted as the primary cause. Clinical management has focused on the reduction in knee extensor spasticity. Recent advances in understanding of post-stroke hemiplegic gait suggest that SKG can present as mechanical consequences between muscle spasticity, weakness, and their interactions with ground reactions during walking. Various underlying mechanisms are presented through sample cases in this article. They include ankle plantar flexor spasticity, knee extensor spasticity, knee flexor and extensor coactivation, and hip flexor spasticity. Careful and thorough clinical assessment is advised to determine the primary cause for each patient. Understanding of these various presentations of SKG is helpful to guide clinical assessment and select appropriate target muscles for interventions.
Keywords
Humans, Hemiplegia, Quadriceps Muscle, Gait, Walking, Stroke, Muscle Spasticity, Biomechanical Phenomena
DOI
10.3390/toxins15030204
PMID
36977095
PMCID
PMC10053067
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
3-7-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes