Gait refers to the way that you walk, including the rhythm and speed of that walk. There are many types of abnormal gait described in the field of medicine. However, to understand abnormal gait, you first need to understand what normal gait is like. To begin with, normal gait is characterized by righting and antigravity reflexes. This means that your body allows you to resist the force of gravity by allowing you to rise from a sitting or lying down position. Righting and antigravity reflexes also allow your knees, hips, and back to be extended firmly. This keeps you standing upright and your position can be altered depending on the position of your head and neck.

Normal gait is also characterized by stepping, in which the bottom of the foot contacts a flat surface, changing the center of gravity to the other foot. The center of gravity is the part of the body where the entire weight of the body is concentrated. The change of the center of gravity allows the other foot to be raised and moved forward. The process continues as one keeps walking. The next characteristic of normal gait is equilibrium, which allows balance to be maintained while walking. The final component of normal gait is propulsion, in which one leans forward and slightly to one side. It is because of propulsion that the body can fall a certain distance before the support of the legs act to prevent a fall.