Kinesiology Gait Practice Test 2026 – The Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Master Your Exam!

Parkinsonian gait stems from loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia, which disrupts automatic movement control and the scaling of movement amplitude. The result is a hypokinetic, shuffling gait with particular biomechanical traits: arm swing is reduced because the automatic, reciprocal arm movement slows down; the trunk and neck show axial rigidity leading to a forward-flexed posture; stride length shortens as initiation and continuation of steps become difficult; and festination—progressively quicker, shorter steps—occurs as the person struggles to regulate forward momentum. Together these features reflect impaired basal ganglia motor control and the altered coordination between posture and locomotion.

The pattern described here is the hallmark of Parkinsonian gait. Patterns like increased arm swing with a wide base suggest cerebellar or sensory involvement; rapid, irregular steps with variable arm swing point toward ataxia or neuropathy; a simply slow, stooped gait can be seen in other conditions and doesn’t capture the distinctive festination and reduced stride length driven by basal ganglia dysfunction.