Hip circumduction
Draft — clinical review requiredThe swinging leg moves outward in an arc rather than straight forward.
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
- Lateral arc of the foot in swing, seen best from the front or rear.
Example mechanisms
- Reduced knee flexion or ankle dorsiflexion in swing.
- Functional or true limb lengthening (for example an orthosis or knee held extended).
- Hip flexor weakness.
- An observed deviation describes movement; it does not identify a single diagnosis or a single weak muscle.
Possible compensation
- Allows the swinging limb to clear the floor when it cannot shorten enough.
What to examine next
- Knee and ankle range in swing.
- Hip flexor strength.
- Limb length and devices.
Clinical reasoning sequence
- Observe → Explain possible causes → Examine → Choose an intervention → Reassess.
Connect — related deviations
Apply it
Which view shows circumduction most clearly?
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 hip circumduction 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.