Gait is the manner in which a person walks and can be described using terms such as stride, stride length, step, step length, and cadence. According to Lippert, (2011) stride is defined as the distance from the point when one foot touches the ground to the point when the same foot touches the ground again. Stride length is the total distance traveled during the gait cycle. A step is one half of a stride and cadence is walking speed (p. 339). In addition, there are six phases of gait to further distinguish the elements of motion that occur during walking and these include: heel strike/initial contact, foot flat/loading response, midstance, heel-off/terminal stance, and toe off/pre-swing. In order to define the components of the toe off/pre-swing phase of gait, an examination of the muscles/joints involved with this phase and the types of contractions occurring, the required range of motion for involved joints, and the problems associated with a discrepancy during this …show more content…
Both versions of assessment divide the phases of gait into two categories: stance and swing. Next, each style is divided into eight further subcategories. Comparatively, the subcategories are very similar; however, traditional gate assessments are like 'snapshots' in time, whereas Rancho Los Amigos is a follow through from motion-to-motion. Traditionally, toe off is the end of the push-off portion when the toes leaves the ground ending the stance phase and beginning the swing phase. The Rancho Los Amigos version that corresponds with toe off is the pre-swing. Pre-swing is defined as and begins with the initial contact and weight being shifted onto the opposite leg, and ends just before the toes of the weight-bearing leg leave the ground, completing the end of the stance-phase and the beginning of the