Medicine:Marche a petit pas

Marche à petits pas [maʁʃ a pəti pa] (“gait with little steps”) is a type of gait disorder characterised by an abnormal short stepped gait with upright stance (in strict sense, as opposed to generally stooping short-stepped gait of Parkinson's disease), seen in various neurological (or sometimes muscular) disorders. It can be further differentiated from "Parkinsonian gait" by normal arm swing (as opposed to no arm swing in Parkinsonism). Some people refer to all forms of short-stepped gaits, including Parkinsonian gait, as marche a petit pas in a loose sense.

Common causes

Marche a petit pas gait is seen in:

• Bilateral diffuse cortical dysfunction
  • Diffuse cerebrovascular disease ('lacunar state')
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Parkinsonism (sometimes)
• Muscle weakness