Synonyms
Spastic gait
Definition
Circumduction describes the movement of the leg of a person with hemiplegia, hemiparesis or paraplegia, and paraparesis. Lesions of the pyramidal tract cause more weakness in the flexors of the leg than the extensors (hip and knee flexors and ankle dorsiflexors). Because of this weakness, the foot cannot be raised from the floor, and the leg cannot be advanced in a straight line forward, as it would do normally. The leg moves away from the trunk, then it is advanced toward it during walking, in a circular pattern. The medial side of the shoe scrapes the floor, causing excessive wear in that area.
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References and Readings
Victor, M., & Ropper, A. H. (2001). Adams and victor’s principals of neurology (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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DePiero, T.J. (2018). Circumduction. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_447
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_447
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
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