Stiff Knee Gait After Stroke: The Potential Compensatory Role of Mid-Swing Rectus Femoris Activity.

ABSTRACT: Reduced knee flexion during the swing phase of gait, commonly referred to as 'stiff knee gait,' is frequently encountered in patients with upper motor neuron syndrome, e.g., due to stroke. Rectus femoris spasticity is one of the main causes of stiff knee gait and can be treated with botulinum toxin (BoNT-A) injections. However, previous literature shows large response variations after BoNT-A treatment between individual participants. These variations could be due to the overestimation of rectus femoris spasticity during gait analyses based on the current main indicator: mid-swing rectus femoris activity. The objective of this video-illustrated case series, including gait data of four stroke patients with stiff knee gait, is to propose an alternative explanation for this mid-swing rectus fe

SUBMITTER: van Oorschot W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12513780 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature