The characteristics of gait in CMT Types 1 and 2

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Gait Posture. 2006 Sep 27

The characteristics of gait in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease types I

and II.

Newman CJ, Walsh M, O'sullivan R, on A, D, Lynch B,

O'brien T.

Central Remedial Clinic, Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3, Ireland.

Certain typical gait characteristics such as foot-drop and foot

supination are well described in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. These

are directly related to the primary disease and due to the weakness

of ankle dorsiflexors and everters characteristic of this hereditary

neuropathy.

We analysed 16 subjects aged 8-52 years old (11 with type I, 5 with

type II Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease) using three-dimensional gait

analysis and identified kinematic features previously unreported.

These patients showed a combination of tight tendo achillei, foot-

drop, failure of plantar flexion and increased foot supination, but

also presented with excessive internal rotation of the knee and/or

tibia, knee hyperextension in stance, excessive external rotation at

the hips and decreased hip adduction in stance (typical of a broad

based gait).

These proximal features could have been an adaptation to or

consequence of the disrupted ankle and foot biomechanics, however a

direct relation to the neuropathy is also possible since sub-normal

muscle power was observed at the proximal levels in most subjects on

both manual testing and kinetic analysis. Gait analysis is a useful

tool in defining the characteristic gait of patients with Charcot-

Marie-Tooth disease.