Scissor gait

What it means

A type of spastic paraparetic gait in which the muscle tone in the adductors is marked. It is characterized by hypertonia and flexion in the legs, hips and pelvis accompanied by extreme adduction leading to the knees and thighs hitting, or sometimes even crossing, in a scissors-like movement. The opposing muscles (abductors) become comparatively weak from lack of use.

Scissor gait is a form of gait abnormality primarily associated with spastic cerebral palsy.

Rare diseases that can present with this7

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Scissoring gait · Scissoring of the lower extremities · Scissoring of the lower limbs · Scissors gait