Understanding the Gait Cycle: Stance in Walking

Video Transcript
Slide One
This presentation will be on the gait cycle.
Slide Two
The gait cycle is defined as the manner of someone’s locomotion or ambulation leading to the repetition
of the locomotion pattern involving strides and steps. In the process of covering the gait cycle, strides
are made. One stride covers the whole gait cycle.
Contrary to the gait cycle is the run cycle. The gait cycle takes a third longer duration with lesser shock
absorption compared to the run cycle. This would explain the tendency of runners having more overload
injuries. Gait cycles involve the primary use of the lower extremities with the trunks and arms being
used for stability and balance. In run cycles, the upper extremities are primarily depended upon with the
trunk for balance, stability and propulsion.
The necessity of developing such classifications it to produce normal gait cycle of healthy movement
that can be used in detecting pathological gaits. Hence, during the gait cycle of an individual, the poorly
functioning muscles or joints can be detected.
This presentation will be focusing on the stance in the walking gait cycle.
Slide Three
The diagram generally splits the cycle into;
Part A
New gait terms/phases that are the initial contact, loading response, mid stance, terminal stance, pre-
swing, initial swing, mid-swing and terminal swing.
Part B
Classical gait terms/phases that are the heel strike, foot flat, mid-stance, hell-off toe-off, mid-swing, heel
strike.
Part C
The percentage of the stance and swing phases in one gait cycle.
Slide Four
The first sub-phase is the loading response phase. It begins just when the heel of one foot strikes the
ground and ends when the other foot’s toe is lifted off the ground. During this phase, the body absorbs
impact felt on the foot through rolling in pronation. Both the knee and ankle increase their flex degree
as the hip slowly moves into extension.
The loading response takes up 10 percent of the walking gait cycle constituting the duration of initial
double-limb support. In the occurrence of the loading response, the foot involved will come into full

contact with the ground allowing the body weight to be transferred onto this stance limb. The start and
the end of this subphase are represented by the figures (a) and (b) respectively.
Slide Five
This slide focuses on the ankle joint during the loading phase. During the ankle joint movement, as the
heel strikes the ground, the joint drives deep into Plantarflexion. The movement results from action
form muscles, the force of inertia as well as the force of gravity. All in all, the joint action is
Plantarflexion with muscles involved being the pretibial muscles whose influence reduce as the ankle
movement progresses. Ankle joint during this phase has their muscles eccentrically moving.
Slide Six
Next, we focus on the hip joint that initiates with flexion. However, the joint drives from flexion through
to extension as the phase progresses. The action is therefore extension. This shift would probably be
caused by muscle action as well as the force of inertia from the moving body. Hip joint movements are
actuated by the hamstrings and gluteus maximus muscles whose action is concentric and isometric.
Slide Seven
The last joint in this sub-phase would then be the knee joint. The knee comes in at flexion and as the
phase progresses, it drives deeper into flexion. Hence the action is flexion. Such movement would
probably be caused by muscle action as well as the force of gravity. In accordance with the active
muscles, the quadriceps muscles are responsible. These muscles would act eccentrically to help produce
the knee movement.
Slide Eight
The second sub-phase is the mid-stance that begins when the opposite foot starts leaving the ground
and goes on until the weight of the body finishes travelling along the foot’s lengths to be loaded over
the forefoot. The ankle stiffens and the hips deeply flexed allowing stabilization of the body from the
absorbed force at impact for forwarding propulsion.
The single support’s first half is represented by the mid-stance and it takes place from 10 to 30 percent
duration of the walking gait cycle. In the occurrence of the mid-stance sub-phase, the start and the end
are shown by figures (a) and (b) respectively.
Slide Nine
Firstly, the joint in the study is the knee that comes in in a flexion state and shifts through to an
extension. Hence, the action is an extension. Such movements are caused by muscles. Hence, the active
muscles that are responsible are the quadriceps muscle that acts for a short while. These muscles act
concentrically all through the phase making the knee joint move.
A point to note is that knee muscle is unnecessary at this sub-phase.
Slide Ten
One more joint is the hip joint. The hip joint during this sub-phase comes in a flexion state before
shifting through to an extension. To produce such a movement, the reaction has to come from the