Gait Analysis - What Is Antalgic Gait And How To Treat Antalgic Gait

The pain can be due to many causes such as diabetic foot, arthritis, joint or limb deformity, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine (cervical spondylosis), trauma, gout, sciatica which then leads to the antalgic gait.

An easy way to picture an antalgic gait is to think of a person with a stone or sharp object in their shoe. When the person bears weight on that foot and pain is caused, he will try and reduce the pain by getting off it as quick as possible. So, the time in the discomforted or painful side is reduced, therefore, leading to a characteristic style of walking with uneven strides of different times.

It is important to recognize and be able to help in treating the underlying cause of the antalgic gait and its consequences. This is because, if the underlying cause is left untreated, the transfer of the weight onto a particular limb or part of the body will lead to an unstable alignment, increased shock and stress.