Table 2. Descriptive clinical classification of gait disturbances.

Gait disturbance	Description of gait	Accompanying symptoms and signs
Antalgic	Limping, short standing phase on affected leg	Pain, limitation of passive range of movement
Paretic	Asymmetry, characteristic motor deficit findings (e.g., steppage gait, Trendelenburg sign)	Paresis, atrophy, reflex asymmetry, radicular/peripheral sensory deficit
Spastic	Non-fluent gait, circumduction of the legs, stiffness, scissors gait, forward rotation of the lateral edge of the foot	Elevated muscle tone, brisk reflexes, pyramidal tract signs (Babinski), urge incontinence
Ataxic	Broad-based, variable, uncoordinated; worsens when the eyes are closed (proprioceptive-deficit ataxia)	Cerebellar: other cerebellar signs (limb dysmetria, oculo-motor disturbances, dysarthria); Proprioceptive-deficit ataxia: demonstrable proprioceptive deficit
Sensory deficit	Broad-based, variable, diminished swing phase, worsens when another system is impaired (e.g., with eyes closed)	BVP: oscillopsia, pathological head-impulse test; PNP: diminished reflexes, sensory deficit
Hypokinetic	Small-stepped, slow, shuffling; difficulty initiating movement in parkinsonism; diminished arm swing, worsening with cognitive dual-tasking	Parkinsonism: rigidity, tremor, akinesia; Vascular/NPH: cognitive impairment, incontinence
Dyskinetic	Involuntary movements during ambulation	Dystonia, chorea, myoclonus, tics
Anxious	Slow, broad-based (“walking on ice”); search for something to hold on to; improvement with minimal assistance or with dual-tasking (distraction)	Fear of falling, intolerance of standing without holding on to something
Psychogenic	Multiple patterns: bizarre, variable, exhausting, very slow, sudden buckling without falling	Affect (“la belle indifférence”), possible precipitating life situations, prior psychiatric history

BVP, bilateral vestibulopathy; NPH, normal-pressure hydrocephalus; PNP, polyneuropathy