Antalgic gait
Draft — clinical review requiredOne limb spends less time in stance than the other, often to limit loading of a painful limb.
Locate — when it occurs
Our event terms, with functional phase names alongside.
- Heel strikeInitial contact
- Foot flatLoading response
- MidstanceMidstance
- Heel offTerminal stance
- Toe offPre-swing
- Feet adjacentInitial swing
- Tibia verticalMid swing
- Heel strike (next)Terminal swing
Go deeper
Open each part when you are ready.
Observe
- Asymmetric timing; shorter step of the opposite limb.
Example mechanisms
- Pain on loading.
- Weakness or instability of the stance limb.
- Fear of falling or reduced balance.
- An observed deviation describes movement; it does not identify a single diagnosis or a single weak muscle.
Possible compensation
- Reducing time on a painful or unstable limb.
What to examine next
- Pain on weight bearing.
- Strength and stability.
- Balance confidence.
Clinical reasoning sequence
- Observe → Explain possible causes → Examine → Choose an intervention → Reassess.
Connect — related deviations
Apply it
Shorter stance on the left usually produces…
Sources and review status
Draft — clinical review required
Starting points for verification. Validated protocols are linked where available; clinical content has not yet been reviewed.
Learning objectives
- Recognize antalgic gait and when it occurs in the gait cycle.
- Separate the observed movement from a possible cause and from any compensation.
- Choose examination findings that would help distinguish between causes.