Understanding Gait

Leg amputees must understand gait. When referring to “gait,” we simply mean your manner of walking. When you walk, your leg spends 40 per cent of the time in the swing phase (when you swing the leg through) and 60 per cent of the time in the stance phase (when your foot is in contact with the ground). Over the years, leg amputees have been told time and time again by our doctors, physiotherapists and prosthetists that they have to work at walking properly, or need to develop “good gait.” Many leg amputees have developed bad walking habits that are, once developed, difficult to break.

Leg amputees, particularly those with higher levels of amputation, will often have some degree of a limp. When you limp, you are actually bending your upper body sideways in order to put your weight over the artificial leg. In reality, your pelvis should do this work, it naturally moves sideways to keep the body aligned when you walk. After becoming a leg amputee, the natural mechanics of the body are thrown out of balance, so you have to learn to rely on the pelvis to do its job, and not bend or limp to the side instead. Admittedly that is not easy, especially at the beginning but it is worth persevering as developing good a good walking technique will ultimately enable you to move with more freedom and comfort.