Gait abnormality is a condition when people walk with unusual and abnormal walking patterns. It often happens to elder people due to issues associated with old age. A doctor can help to find the reasons of gait abnormality. Meanwhile a physical therapy can help to strengthen the muscle power and avoid the risks of fall.
Gait describes the patterns how people walk. Therefore, gait abnormality is a condition when people cannot control their walking patterns, so they may have unusual or abnormal patterns during walking. It mostly results from a physical condition and commonly happens to older adults.
The causes of gait abnormality are various. For example, arthritis of the joints, foot problems (swelling, spasm, skin sores, pain, wart, ingrown toenail, callus or corn) conversion disorder, fracture, infection of legs, injury, legs with different lengths, myositis, tendonitis, and some diseases that can affect the normal function of legs. However, the most common cause of gait abnormality is old age. For elder people, brain degenerative or neurological disease like Parkinson’s disease can also lead to gait abnormality. So far, gait abnormality can be classified into several types: 1) Propulsive gait: it is a stiff and stooped posture. People with propulsive gait may walk with neck and head bent forward. 2) Scissors gait: it is a condition when people have the scissor-shaped legs and scissor-like walking patterns. 3) Spastic gait: it is a foot-dragging and stiff walking pattern, which is caused by an abnormal and long muscle contraction. 4) Steppage gait: it is also called drop foot gait that describes when the foot drops, the toes will point down and touch the floor first. 5) Waddling gait: it is a duck-like walk.
The treatments of gait abnormality will depend on the causes. Once the doctor finds the underlying disease that causes gait abnormality, the treatment will be focus on the disease. People normally can have a normal gait after it is healed. But for people with Parkinson’s disease, it is unlikely to be reversible. Somehow physical therapy can help to strengthen the muscle power of legs and try to adjust the walking patterns, so that can reduce the risks of getting injuries, fall or other damages caused by gait abnormalities.
Several years of work in academia, medical practice and finally commercialization make it possible to provide an end-to-end process to help users to “find the appropriate medical help based on their present symptoms”. Below you will find a short explanation, showing you which part of the platform will help you best in finding the appropriate medical support.
Proceed as follows to enter your current symptoms.
Click on the appropriate body part on the picture. Select one/multiple symptoms corresponding to your complaint.
You can also add symptoms by typing your medical complaint in the search box and selecting the best matching suggestion.
Note: Your information will be kept anonymously.
Once you have selected all applicable symptoms, click the “analyze disease pattern”-button.
Accordingly, you will get a list of possible diseases and matching doctor categories who can further help you.
You can inform yourself about the possible diseases by reading the related information. But you can also return to the previous step and add more symptoms or delete already added ones to further narrow down your disease pattern.
Click on the desired doctor category to find a doctor who can help you.
If you are logged in with your profile, you will be displayed the appropriate doctors in your area. Otherwise you can enter an address in the “address” field and you will be displayed a doctor’s list around that specified address.
You will receive further information about the displayed doctors when you press on “details”.
Online bookable doctors in your area will be indicated with the notation “Book appointment” or “Book externally”, additionally they will be displayed on top of the list for your convenience.
Click on “Book appointment” to start the online appointment booking process with the desired doctor.
Please select an available appointment. “Green“ appointments are booked directly. “Red“ appointments need to be confirmed by the doctor.
Enter your general personal and health information.
Enter your present medical symptoms.
Enter your mobile phone number to identify yourself and you can finalize the appointment booking.
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