Walking Problems

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Walking Problems

Basics

Summary
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Diagnosis and Tests
Prevention and Risk Factors

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Living With
Specifics

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Summary

We walk thousands of steps each day. We walk to do our daily activities, get around, and exercise. Having a problem with walking can make daily life more difficult.

The pattern of how you walk is called your gait. A variety of problems can cause an abnormal gait and lead to problems with walking. These include:

Injuries, diseases, or abnormal development of the muscles or bones of your legs or feet
Movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease
Diseases such as arthritis or multiple sclerosis
Vision or balance problems

Treatment of walking problems depends on the cause. Physical therapy, surgery, or mobility aids may help.

Start Here

Walking abnormalities (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Foot Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Foot Push-Up Test (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
That Pain in Your Back Could be Linked to Your Feet (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)

Prevention and Risk Factors

How to "Read" Your Footprint (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)

Living With

Exercises to Improve Gait Abnormalities (National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability)
Mobility Aids: MedlinePlus Health Topic - Canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs Also in Spanish
Prescription Custom Orthotics and Shoe Inserts (American Podiatric Medical Association)

Specifics

Cavus Foot (High-Arched Foot) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Chronic Ankle Instability (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Equinus (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Flexible Flatfoot (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Foot Drop (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Gait or Walking Problems (National Multiple Sclerosis Society) - PDF
Hallux Rigidus (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Tarsal Coalition (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Walking (Gait), Balance, and Coordination Problems (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Gait Apraxia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Gait Ataxia (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Gait Disorders, Neurologic (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Find a Physical Therapist (American Physical Therapy Association)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

Developmental Dislocation (Dysplasia) of the Hip (DDH) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Don't Ignore Your Kid's Heel Pain (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
In-Toeing and Out-Toeing in Toddlers (Nemours Foundation)
Intoeing (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Problems with Legs and Feet (Nemours Foundation)
Sever's Disease (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Toe Walking in Children (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Seniors

Eldercare at Home: Mobility Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)

Patient Handouts

Walking abnormalities (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish