What Causes a Waddling Gait?
Waddling gait is one of the most common types of walking disorder. A person with waddling gait suffers from difficulty in maintaining balance during their walk. They are unable to maintain equilibrium at any time while they are walking. This condition may cause them to fall down or trip over objects when they are trying to get around obstacles such as furniture, steps, etc..
A person suffering from waddling gait may experience pain when they try to stand up quickly due to the fact that it takes longer than usual for them to regain their balance. Also, they may feel dizzy and nauseous if they have a sudden change in temperature. Sometimes they will even vomit or choke on food because of the lack of strength in their stomach muscles.
Causes of Waddling Gait:
The exact cause of waddling gait is not known. However, there are several theories about its origin. Some experts believe that it could be caused by a problem in the nervous system. Others say that it is a result of abnormal muscle development which occurs during fetal life.
Still others think that it results from an underlying medical condition like diabetes mellitus or spinal cord injury (SCI).
In most cases, waddling gait can be managed with the help of physical therapy. Depending on the cause, treatment options also vary. For example, if it is caused by a medical condition, then medication or surgery may be recommended. In some cases, a person may never know what caused their waddling gait.
However, this does not necessarily mean that it will not be treatable.
Children with waddling gait should be seen by a medical professional to rule out any serious underlying cause. If the waddling gait persists, then they should receive physical therapy and compensatory training. In later stages of their life, surgical procedures may be needed if their condition worsens.
What is Waddling Gait in Children?
Waddling gait is a common walking disorder in children. It is a result of muscle weakness in the hip and leg areas that makes it difficult for them to walk in a straight line. This walking disorder is also known as duck-walking, baby goose-step, or raedergatsch. It most commonly occurs in children between the ages of one and four years. It can also affect older children however this is less common.
Sources & references used in this article:
What is a waddling gait? by MB Van Iersel, GP Mulley – Disability and rehabilitation, 2004 – Taylor & Francis
Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency by A Sharma, S Sinha, A Narang… – Sultan Qaboos …, 2020 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Osteomalacia due to Fanconi’s syndrome and renal failure caused by long-term low-dose adefovir dipivoxil by H Shimohata, S Sakai, Y Ogawa… – Clinical and …, 2013 – search.proquest.com
Localisation of the gene causing diaphyseal dysplasia Camurati-Engelmann to chromosome 19q13 by K Janssens, R Gershoni-Baruch, E Van Hul… – Journal of medical …, 2000 – jmg.bmj.com
