What causes "toddling gait" in adults?

[ugeauxgirl]

Years ago I read (somewhere) that the reason older folks "shuffle" is that when you are younger, your brain and eyes are able to adjust your vision so that when you walk, your vision doesn't seem to "bounce." The older you get, the less that happens. So older folks tend to smooth their gait so that their head doesn't move as much when they walk, keeping their visual picture more stable.

 

[ransil]

There is a guy at work that does it, been doing it 10 years and he is maybe 55 if not younger.
I notice a lot of older women waddle.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Parkinson's . Although my dad went from normal walking, to falling down, to no mobility at all in about 60 days. Never went through the shuffle stage. What was explained to me is the body tries to use alternate brain areas to compensate for lost brain functions. Have a lot , both sides of the family tree.

 

[audreyh1]

That loss of flexibility in feet was new to me. I had never thought about feet being "flexible" nor how to lose that flexibilty or how to keep it. Is it just a question of periodically flexing one's feet?

Yoga!

It quite actively involves the feet in various poses. And some interesting foot transition movements like tucking under toes and lifting up off the balls of the feet from kneeling into another position (downward dog), or pressing the tops of the feet into the floor and then rolling onto the balls of the feet from an upward dog or cobra pose to downward dog.

Not to mention yoga in general incorporating strength, balance, flexibility, breathing, etc.

Seriously, I started learning yoga at 40 figuring I would really need it as I got older, and now almost 20 years later I can see that I really do need it and need to be more disciplined about practicing yoga as post-menopause flexibity dropped quite suddenly.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's the Parkinson's gait:

 

[Amethyst]

That's not what I've seen so far. No trembling, etc.

The gait I've observed is: bent over and peering (typical as we age and our eyesight fades), and rapid, tiny, yet firm steps. Actually it's surprising how fast some can move, which is why I thought of a toddler.

Here's the Parkinson's gait:

 

[donheff]

I suspect people with a gait as pronounced as the video are suffering from a variety of the problems in Midpack's list. I think the upper torso forward tilt is common with hip and lower back arthritis. I am 70 and work out regularly, including about 100 miles of cycling a week in good weather but I have recently noticed a tendency to tilt forward. I have mild arthritis in my lower back and hips and my body instinctively moves to alleviate the discomfort even though it is very mild. I am doing exercise to increase flexibility and range of motion and make a concerted effort to stand straight. So far, so good. I will check back in at 80

 

[MRG]

There's a number of gait issues. I guess I feel fortunate to not know this. The example of Parkinson's is pretty close to how I see these folks having to walk.


https://stanfordmedicine25.stanford.edu/the25/gait.html

Gait Abnormalities

There are eight basic pathological gaits that can be attributed to neurological conditions: hemiplegic, spastic diplegic, neuropathic, myopathic, Parkinsonian, choreiform, ataxic (cerebellar) and sensory. Observation of these gait are an important aspect of diagnosis that may provide information about several musculoskeletal and neurological conditions.

 

[Alan]

My Dad's shuffling gait started in his mid 70's due to Peripheral Artery Disease caused by a lifetime of being a heavy smoker. He said his legs hurt a lot while walking and over time the poor blood flow led to ulceration.

He also became very hard of hearing but refused hearing aids. My sister lived next door to him and was his carer for the last few years of his life (he died at 84 of a burst aneurysm). One day she went into his house carrying a tray with his dinner to find him sat in his chair with his feet in a bowl of water and his leg dressings and ointments out ready. "What are doing?", asked my sister. "You said you would be in at 6 to do my gammy legs.", he replied. "I said I would bring you gammon and eggs at 6", she explained.

 

[iloveyoga]

Yoga!

It quite actively involves the feet in various poses. And some interesting foot transition movements like tucking under toes and lifting up off the balls of the feet from kneeling into another position (downward dog), or pressing the tops of the feet into the floor and then rolling onto the balls of the feet from an upward dog or cobra pose to downward dog.

Not to mention yoga in general incorporating strength, balance, flexibility, breathing, etc.

Seriously, I started learning yoga at 40 figuring I would really need it as I got older, and now almost 20 years later I can see that I really do need it and need to be more disciplined about practicing yoga as post-menopause flexibity dropped quite suddenly.

+1 I love yoga!

 

[eytonxav]

Training that focuses on mobility to improve flexibility, range of motion, and joint/muscle strength should help a lot, although that is unlikely to overcome the effects of parkinsons and other neurological disorders, but it might help a lot.

 

[O2Bfree]

My mom, 89, walks as though she's stepping on slippery rocks to cross a stream, looking very tipsy and uncertain. She's always had poor balance and has taken numerous falls, many when she was much younger. She's banged her head four times, needing 4 and 15 stitches the last two times. Several doctors have recommended that she try some balance exercises or take Tai Chi classes or something of that sort. She saw a neurologist a few months ago and he pointed out that she had an odd gait. But she just lets it all roll off her, saying that they just like to give her a bad time about something, as though they're only teasing.

 

[garyt]

I see this a lot. I attribute it to lack of flexibility. I see folks walking rocking from side to side. I also see folks out walking with their torso pushed forward. It seems like lack of flexibility in hips and perhaps also lower back.

Seems pretty common. At least they are out walking!!!

I agree. Loss of flexibility makes making a longer stride impossible, hence the short shuffle steps. I'm sure there are othe reasons, but in otherwise healthy seniors I'd say the vast majority is loss of flexibility.

 

[simple girl]

A shuffling, festinating gait pattern is often typical when individuals have Parkinson's. It's a motor control (neurological) issue.

Poor foot clearance can also be due to tight calves and weak dorsiflexors.

Wide based gait is often due to poor balance - multiple causes.

A gait which is waddling side to side is often due to hip weakness.

 

[jazz4cash]

OP specifically mentioned men (I think) so I'm wondering if any of the responses and likely symptoms are gender specific?

 

[Amethyst]

It's true that I've only, so far, seen men with this gait. I see no reason why women would not manifest it, for the same reasons.

OP specifically mentioned men (I think) so I'm wondering if any of the responses and likely symptoms are gender specific?

 

[MRG]

It's true that I've only, so far, seen men with this gait. I see no reason why women would not manifest it, for the same reasons.

There's a lady at our gym that has this gait.

 

[O2Bfree]

I wonder if women tend to have better shoulder and back flexibility partly because we do moves such as fastening and unfastening bras and reaching behind our heads to do things with our hair.

 

[Amethyst]

Well, it can't be the hair. Every woman I see down here, who appears to be my age or older, has her hair shorn to 2 inches or less, and her ears sticking out!

I wonder if women tend to have better shoulder and back flexibility partly because we do moves such as fastening and unfastening bras and reaching behind our heads to do things with our hair.

 

[O2Bfree]

Well, it can't be the hair. Every woman I see down here, who appears to be my age or older, has her hair shorn to 2 inches or less, and her ears sticking out!

Well maybe some flexibility is left over from a woman's younger years.

 

[audreyh1]

It's true that I've only, so far, seen men with this gait. I see no reason why women would not manifest it, for the same reasons.

My observations of either side-to-side waddling or the torso tipped forward walking posture, I’ve seen in both genders.

 

[madsquopper]

I've seen a lot of this in Chicago

 

[PointBreeze]

Had a total hip replacement 5 years ago at age 55. Took about 9 months to get to the point where I wasn't aware of the hip replacement every time I took a step. Four years later, out of the blue, I get an intermittent functional cramp in the the quad on that side. Months of PT and little change. When the cramp isn't happening, no one would know I've had the hid replacement. When it is occurring, I have a pronounced limp, darnit. I'm facing a hip replacement on the other side in the next few years, and am not looking forward to the work to get back to "normal" but I'll do it - I hate having a limp.

 

[gooddog]

As some others have said, Parkinson's. A variety of neurological disease can cause this, but Parkinson's is the most common. If you see someone with this gait and their face is a bit 'mask' like - lake of expression...Parkinson's. Another give away is if their writing is small. It is worth noting that Parkinson's is related to exposure to pesticides and weed killers. My grandfather (on my mom's side) died of Parkinson's at about age 50 - he owned a pest control biz. My mother died of Parkinson's just a few months ago, and it is presumed she got Parkinson's from exposure as a child to her fathers pesticides. It is not the way to go, as it is a long road of misery before the end.

 

[RunningBum]

I pulled a groin muscle over the weekend, and have been walking that way the last 2 days. This causes the least pain. Long steps are definitely an issue. I think there's a multitude of reasons.