Scissors gait is most commonly associated with which condition?

• A. Cerebral palsy
• B. Parkinson disease
• C. Multiple sclerosis
• D. ALS

Answer: (A)

Scissors gait reflects spasticity in the leg muscles from upper motor neuron injury, producing a pattern where the knees and hips drift toward each other and the legs cross at midline during walking. This classic pattern arises most often in cerebral palsy, especially the spastic diplegia form, where bilateral leg hypertonia and motor imbalance lead to the characteristic cross-step gait. The underlying issue is early brain injury that disrupts normal corticospinal control, leaving the adductor muscles and other leg flexors relatively overactive. Other conditions may cause different gait abnormalities—Parkinson disease typically shows a shuffling, festinating walk with reduced arm swing; multiple sclerosis can produce ataxic or variable gaits; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis often presents with focal weakness and foot drop rather than a consistent scissoring pattern.