In horizontal plane gait mechanics, at terminal stance the pelvis is positioned how?

In horizontal plane gait mechanics, at terminal stance the pelvis is positioned how?

• A. Fully Adducted
• B. Protracted
• C. Neutral Only
• D. Retracted

Answer: (D)

In the horizontal (transverse) plane during terminal stance, the pelvis is retracted, meaning it rotates slightly backward around the vertical axis. As the stance leg remains behind the body and prepares for toe-off, this posterior (retracted) rotation helps orient the trunk for forward progression and sets up the swing phase. Protraction would be forward rotation, neutral would imply little or no rotation, and general hip adduction is not describing the pelvis’s transverse-plane rotation.

In the horizontal (transverse) plane during terminal stance, the pelvis is retracted, meaning it rotates slightly backward around the vertical axis.

As the stance leg remains behind the body and prepares for toe-off, this posterior (retracted) rotation helps orient the trunk for forward progression and sets up the swing phase. Protraction would be forward rotation, neutral would imply little or no rotation, and general hip adduction is not describing the pelvis’s transverse-plane rotation.