Which gait involves moving the crutches forward and then swinging the legs forward?

Which gait involves moving the crutches forward and then swinging the legs forward?

• A. Three-Point Gait
• B. Swing-through Gait
• C. Swing-on Gait
• D. Four-Point Gait

Answer: (D)

Moving the crutches forward and then swinging the legs forward describes the swing-through gait. After you advance the crutches, you swing both legs forward past the crutches so they land ahead of them. This pattern is used when the legs don’t bear weight or are very weak, relying on the arms and upper body to propel you while the legs swing through beyond the crutches. It requires good balance and upper-body strength. In contrast, four-point gait involves a slow, four-beat sequence of opposite limbs with no large single leg swing past the crutches; three-point gait moves the crutches and the involved leg forward together and then brings the other leg through; swing-to gait means the legs swing forward to the level of the crutches rather than beyond.

Moving the crutches forward and then swinging the legs forward describes the swing-through gait. After you advance the crutches, you swing both legs forward past the crutches so they land ahead of them. This pattern is used when the legs don’t bear weight or are very weak, relying on the arms and upper body to propel you while the legs swing through beyond the crutches. It requires good balance and upper-body strength. In contrast, four-point gait involves a slow, four-beat sequence of opposite limbs with no large single leg swing past the crutches; three-point gait moves the crutches and the involved leg forward together and then brings the other leg through; swing-to gait means the legs swing forward to the level of the crutches rather than beyond.