Have a Client Stuck in a Steppage Gait Pattern

Straight Leg Swing Forward

Consider this sort of like a straight leg raise but standing. Often my clients who need this activity need some form of upper extremity support. I use their walker a lot of times. Two hands held by a parent would also work. The Kaye Products upright poles would also be perfect. I have many clients who have neuromuscular involvement who walk with a steppage gait. They kind of stamp with every step. So I really like to work on swinging the leg through with knee extension. It is exactly this combination of hip flexion with knee extension that is difficult for this subset of clients. So I try a variety of tricks. Here I have my model kicking his leg forward to knock down a block. Many clients have trouble swinging through keeping the knee straight so I had this model stand on a low bench to help get swing foot clearance off the floor. Instead of having him stand on a bench I could also have the stance leg standing on the edge of a mat or a board on the floor to get just a little clearance for the swing through leg. Sometimes I have the client wear a knee immobilizer to get the feel of the movement.