  thumb|250px|humans using a running gait. note the "suspended phase" in which neither foot touches the ground. human gait refers to locomotion achieved through the movement of human limbs. human gait is defined as bipedal, biphasic forward propulsion of center of gravity of the human body, in which there are alternate sinuous movements of different segments of the body with least expenditure of energy. different gait patterns are characterized by differences in limb movement patterns, overall velocity, forces, kinetic and potential energy cycles, and changes in the contact with the surface (ground, floor, etc.). human gaits are the various ways in which a human can move, either naturally or as a result of specialized training. ==classification== gaits can be roughly categorized into two groups: the natural gaits that nearly every human will use without special training, and the specialized gaits which people train to use under specific conditions and situations. another classification system applicable to humans groups gaits by whether or not the person is continuously in contact with the ground. the specialized gaits include those trained for martial arts and entertainment, as well as additional gaits for regular motion that don't necessarily occur naturally. however, any gait that is not a natural gait is considered specialized. ==natural gaits== the soâcalled natural gaits, in increasing order of speed, are the meander, walk, jog, run, and sprint. while other intermediate speed gaits may occur naturally to some people, these five basic gaits occur naturally across almost all cultures. all natural gaits are designed to propel a person forward, but can also be adapted for lateral movement. as natural gaits all have the same purpose, they are mostly distinguished by when the leg muscles are used during the gait cycle. ===walk=== the walk is a gait which keeps at least one foot in contact with the ground at all times. the walk is characterized by using leg muscles as the primary driving force, in contrast with the meander. the walk is performed with the following steps: # lift one leg off of the ground # using the leg in contact with the ground, push your body forward. # swing your lifted leg forward until it is in front of your body # fall forward to allow your lifted leg to contact the ground. # repeat steps 1â4 for the other leg. ==abnormal gaits==  * antalgic gait : occurs in painful conditions of the lower limb * charlie - chaplin gait : occurs in tibial torsion. * circumduction gait : occurs in hemiplegia * waddling gait : occurs in bilateral congenital hip dislocation * high stepping gait : occurs in [[f
Terrestrial_locomotion Walking