How is it that a 2-year-old child walks like a duckling?

The Department of Pediatric Neurorehabilitation of Fujian First Rehabilitation Center received a phone call from Ms. Zhang who lives in Longyan. Ms. Zhang said on the phone that a 2-year-old child walks like a duckling, sometimes standing unsteadily and easily falling down. In this regard, experts from Fujian First Rehabilitation Center suggested that Ms. Zhang take her children to a regular hospital for examination as soon as possible to rule out whether she has cerebral palsy, because duck gait is one of the typical gait of children with cerebral palsy.

Duck gait

When walking, the waist stands up, the abdomen bulges, and the hips sway from side to side like ducks. This is a manifestation of progressive malnutrition, which can also be seen in rickets and congenital dislocation of hip.

Scissors gait

Legs stiff, feet crossed inward, knees together like scissors. Walking gait is small and slow, and you often step on the ground with your toes like ballet. This gait is seen in bilateral brain or spinal cord lesions, such as cerebral palsy or familial spastic paraplegia.

the rooster gait

When standing, your thighs are together, your calves are slightly apart, and your feet stand like toes. Walk on your toes like a ballet. This gait is seen in spinal cord diseases, such as inflammation and paraplegia.

Jumping gait

It is found in children with gluteal muscle contracture by injection, which is caused by excessive muscle injection during 1 ~ 2 years old. When squatting, the knees can't be together, the legs must be separated, and the hip joints on both sides are in abduction and outward rotation posture, just like when a frog stands with its hind legs bent forward, its lower limbs are slightly outward, so it can't be completely together, and it is splayed when it walks outward. When walking with a brisk gait, it is called jumping because of the limited flexion of the hip joint.