The Powers of Observation

     If you feel like we having been referencing The Gait Guys a lot recently... it is because we have! They have put out a few great segments recently including this 2 part series on the Power of Observation. As clinical novices, we often do not have enough opportunities to see pathological gait patterns and conditions. As former students, almost of our lab "patients" were healthy classmates. While those experiences were rewarding, they were far from a real situation.   

     In this series, Shawn and Ivo dissect a triathlete's gait pattern. The patient presents with chronic low back pain, but has impairments throughout the entire lower chain. One interesting impairment they discuss is a "clenched fist on the L," which they attribute to flexor dominance and related to decreased arm swing and proprioceptive deficits. Their explanation: the proprioceptive system feeds the cerebellum. The cerebellum helps fire axial extensors. Because proprioception is limited in this athlete, the patient is naturally drawn into a flexor dominant position. Check out the entire post to gain more gems like this one! 

Because the gait guys use a Tumblr format, you may have to scroll down to June 25 and June 26. Enjoy!  

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