Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Neurological II Practice Exam

Foot drop from peripheral motor unit disease weakens the muscles that lift the front of the foot (dorsiflexors). To clear the toes during walking, the leg is swung with exaggerated hip and knee flexion, producing a high-stepping, or steppage, gait. This gait pattern directly reflects the need to compensate for dorsiflexor weakness.

Other gait types reflect different problems: Parkinsonian gait involves small, shuffling steps with rigidity and reduced arm swing; cerebellar ataxia causes a wide, unsteady, irregular gait due to impaired coordination; sensory ataxia produces a wide-based gait that worsens with eyes closed because of impaired proprioceptive input. Thus the steppage gait best matches foot drop from peripheral motor unit disease.