Swing phase makes up approximately what percentage of the gait cycle for one limb?

Swing phase makes up approximately what percentage of the gait cycle for one limb?

• A. 10%
• B. 30%
• C. 60%
• D. 40%

Answer: (D)

In walking, the gait cycle for a single limb splits into stance and swing phases. The stance phase, when the foot is on the ground, takes about 60% of the cycle, while the swing phase—the part where the leg moves forward through the air—takes the remaining portion. So the swing phase is roughly 40% of the gait cycle. This is why the best approximation is forty percent. The other values don’t fit because ten and thirty percent are too small for the moving-through-air portion, and sixty percent corresponds to the stance phase, not swing.

In walking, the gait cycle for a single limb splits into stance and swing phases. The stance phase, when the foot is on the ground, takes about 60% of the cycle, while the swing phase—the part where the leg moves forward through the air—takes the remaining portion. So the swing phase is roughly 40% of the gait cycle. This is why the best approximation is forty percent. The other values don’t fit because ten and thirty percent are too small for the moving-through-air portion, and sixty percent corresponds to the stance phase, not swing.