Gower’s Sign

Courtesy: Prof Nabil Ebraheim, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA

 

Gowers Sign

Definition

Gowers sign describes a patient who uses the hands and arms to “walk up” the thighs/body in order to rise from the floor and achieve a standing position.

Mechanism

It occurs due to weakness of the proximal lower-limb muscles, particularly:

• Gluteal muscles
• Quadriceps

Because of this proximal weakness, the patient uses the upper limbs to assist in extending the hips and knees while standing.

Association

particularly associates Gowers sign with:

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

According to  :

• Due to absence of dystrophin
• Inheritance – X-linked recessive

Exam Pearl

Gowers sign – proximal lower-limb muscle weakness – patient “climbs up” his own thighs using the hands – classically Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

One-line viva answer

Gowers sign is the use of the hands to climb up the thighs while rising from the floor due to proximal lower-limb muscle weakness, classically seen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.