Hemiparetic Gait.

The most common pattern of walking impairment poststroke is hemiparetic gait, which is characterized by asymmetry associated with an extensor synergy pattern of hip extension and adduction, knee extension, and ankle plantar flexion and inversion. There are characteristic changes in the spatiotemporal, kinematic and kinetic parameters, and dynamic electromyography patterns in hemiparesis, which may be assessed most accurately in a motion studies laboratory. An understanding of normal human gait is necessary to assess the complex interplay of motor, sensory, and proprioceptive loss; spasticity; and/or ataxia on hemiparetic gait.