Gluteal gait is an abnormal

gait Gait is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on speed, terrain, the need to maneuver, and energetic efficiency. Di ...

caused by neurological problems. If the superior gluteal nerve or obturator

nerves A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

are injured, they fail to control the

gluteus minimus The gluteus minimus, or glutæus minimus, the smallest of the three gluteal muscles, is situated immediately beneath the gluteus medius. Structure It is fan-shaped, arising from the outer surface of the ilium, between the anterior and infer ...

and

medius ''Medius'' is a genus of moths of the family Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth ...

muscles properly, thus producing an inability to tilt the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

upward while swinging the leg forward to walk. To compensate for this loss, the leg swings out laterally so that the foot can move forward, producing a shuffling or waddling gait. Injury to the superior gluteal nerve results in a characteristic motor loss, resulting in a disabling gluteus medius limp, to compensate for weakened abduction of the thigh by the gluteus medius and minimus, and/or a gluteal gait, a compensatory list of the body to the weakened gluteal side. As a result of this compensation, the center of gravity is placed over the supporting lower limb. Medial rotation of the thigh is also severely impaired. When a person is asked to stand on one leg, the gluteus medius and minimus normally contract as soon as the contralateral foot leaves the floor, preventing tipping of the pelvis to the unsupported side. When a person with paralysis of the superior gluteal nerve is asked to stand on one leg, the pelvis descends on the unsupported side, indicating that the gluteus medius on the contralateral side is weak or non-functional. This observation is referred to clinically as a positive

Trendelenburg's sign Trendelenburg's sign is found in people with weak or paralyzed abductor muscles of the hip, namely gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. It is named after the German surgeon Friedrich Trendelenburg. It is often incorrectly referenced as the Tr ...

. When the pelvis descends on the unsupported side, the lower limb becomes, in effect, too long and does not clear the ground when the foot is brought forward in the swing phase of walking. To compensate, the individual leans away from the unsupported side, raising the pelvis to allow adequate room for the foot to clear the ground as it swings forward.

References

Gait abnormalities {{med-sign-stub