Changes in Gait Pattern
Human composure contains of a sequence of muscle contractions and relaxations, which allows for movement. The lower limbs have been adapted to withstand the weight and allow for a change of position in order to carry out the day to day activities. In conditions of extreme subjection to limbs, a change in gait occurs, which has a subsequent effect on the muscles withholding power. Two significant forms of gait exist; the normal gait and the abnormal gait. In reasonable gait conditions, a person maintains a healthy walking posture unlike in the abnormal gait condition where an individual cannot walk in the usual way. This essay looks into the changes that occur in the gait and why they would occur in response to painful corn under the 5th metatarsal-phalangeal joint.
In relation to the 5th metatarsal-phalangeal joint painful corn, a patient often develops antalgic gait pattern. The outcomes of this pattern are that the patient tries evade pain when walking by not using various ways of movements. The patient experiencing pain in the foot has limited joint movement as the joint cannot withstand body weight and the effect caused by the corn on the sole. The resulting outcomes is that the patient makes short steps, slow movement, limps and has loss in heel-to-toe motion. According to Harrington (2005), when a patient is experiencing gait in forefoot, a move to curb the pain and toe-off is exercised
Antalgic gait pattern affects the style and posture of the patient. Antalgic gait mostly originates from a sudden incidence caused by a particular disease or the gradual damage caused by a musculoskeletal system (Harrington, 2005). The gain cycle comprises two primary phases, which include the swing phase as well as the stance phase. This stance stage is further made of five sub-phases: early flatfoot, heel rise, heel strike, toe-off, and heel strike. Antalgic pattern experience by specific patience usually affects individuals' stance phrases located in the gait cycle and shortened significantly from the heel weight experienced by the patient as they suffer from pain in their forefoot. Though the gait cycle is generally divided into two regular phrases, a patient experience extreme pain in their foot as a result of the corn from sole is expected to spend less time of about 20-30% of their gait cycle instead of 50% (Cowley, 2016).
Besides, their reasonable stride length also reduces as a result of this particular condition, which further results in patients are having an elongation of their one stride as compared to the other one. The extreme pain being experienced by the patient usually disrupts their normal locomotion significantly, resulting in soft and fast footsteps to avoid the pain and the load from affecting the affected foot (Harrington, 2005). The patients automatically increase the magnitude of the swing phrase due to the impact of this condition and cause them to lack a forceful activation in some cases.
Conclusively, it is significant to note that no vibrant evidence recommends that damage in the lower extremity may have profound effects on the opposite undamaged limb except if the injury causes major muscle or complete paralysis on individuals' damaged leg. The complete paralysis affects the other foot since it may cause a length discrepancy equal to 5 centimetres making the gait pattern to be altered. However, this abnormality has to exist for an extended period, but it may not affect the other foot if it is only for a short while. Moreover, crutches or casts may not have any significant impact on the borne of the uninjured leg. It is crucial to note, Antalgic gait pattern affects the style and posture of the patient.
References
Cowley, E., Maher, A., Prior, T., & Rome, K. (2016). Roundtable discussion: plantar heel pain. Podiatry Now, 19(3), 18-23.
Harrington, I. J. (2005). Symptoms in the opposite or uninjured leg. In Workplace Safety Insurance Appeals Tribunal (pp. 1-21).
