Gowers's sign is a medical sign that indicates weakness of the Anatomical terms of location#Proximal and distal, proximal muscles, namely those of the lower limb. The sign describes a patient that has to use their hands and arms to "walk" up their own body from a squatting position due to lack of hip and thigh muscle strength. It is named after William Richard Gowers.W. R. Gowers. A manual of the nervous system. Philadelphia; 2nd edition, volume 1, 1895. __TOC__

Associations

Gowers's sign is classically seen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy where it is mostly evident at 4–6 years, but also presents itself in centronuclear myopathy, myotonic dystrophy and various other conditions associated with proximal muscle weakness, including Becker's muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, dermatomyositis and Glycogen storage disease type II, Pompe disease. For this maneuver, the patient is placed on the floor away from any objects that could otherwise be used to pull oneself to a standing position. It is also used in testing paraplegia.

References

Symptoms and signs: musculoskeletal system Muscular dystrophy Symptoms and signs: Nervous system {{med-sign-stub

Associations

See also

References