Question

Mr. Jones, a 67-year-old male, arrives at your clinic complaining of difficulty walking. He reports no pain in the hip. Among other things, your clinical examination reveals that he has marked weakness of the right hip abductors. The most likely gait pattern he exhibits is _________.

1) Antalgic gait
2) Steppage gait
3) Trendelenburg gait

Answer 1

The likely gait pattern exhibited by Mr. Jones, who has weakness in the right hip abductors, is the Trendelenburg gait, where the pelvis drops on the contralateral side during walking.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Mr. Jones, a 67-year-old male, presents at your clinic with difficulty walking and has marked weakness of the right hip abductors without pain in the hip, the most likely gait pattern he exhibits is the Trendelenburg gait. This gait is characterized by a drop of the pelvis on the side opposite to the weakened abductor muscles when the foot on the weak side is lifted off the ground during walking. Because the hip abductors on the affected side cannot stabilize the pelvis to maintain the level, the pelvis tilts toward the healthy side, which is not a normal gait pattern.