A client with a wide-based, staggering, unsteady gait walks into the clinic. The gait would be correctly described as which of the following?
Cerebral stagger
Scissors gait
Parkinsonian gait
Cerebellar ataxia
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Cerebral stagger isn’t a standard term; cerebral damage might cause spasticity, not wide-based ataxia. This lacks specificity for cerebellar signs like staggering, misaligning with the broad, unsteady gait tied to coordination loss in this client fully.
Choice B reason: Scissors gait, from cerebral palsy, shows stiff, crossed legs, not wide-based staggering. This spastic pattern contrasts with the unsteady, broad stance of cerebellar dysfunction, excluding it as the correct description for this presentation entirely here.
Choice C reason: Parkinsonian gait is shuffling with small steps and rigidity, not wide-based or staggering. This contrasts with the unsteady, broad stance of cerebellar ataxia, making it an incorrect match for the client’s observed walking pattern fully here.
Choice D reason: Cerebellar ataxia causes a wide-based, staggering gait due to coordination loss from cerebellar damage. This matches the client’s unsteady walk, reflecting impaired balance and motor control, accurately describing the observed gait pattern comprehensively here.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Ischemic stroke causes focal deficits like weakness, not neck flexion-induced leg pain. This vascular event lacks meningeal irritation signs, misaligning with the positive Brudzinski’s sign of knee bending and neck pain in this assessment fully here.
Choice B reason: Trigeminal neuralgia triggers facial pain, not leg or neck pain with flexion. This cranial nerve V issue doesn’t involve meningeal inflammation, excluding it from the systemic response seen in this neck maneuver entirely and accurately here.
Choice C reason: Meningitis causes meningeal irritation; neck flexion (Brudzinski’s sign) elicits leg pain and knee bending. Neck pain aligns with inflammation, making this the likely diagnosis for the client’s response to this specific neurological test comprehensively here.
Choice D reason: Bell’s palsy affects cranial nerve VII, causing facial paralysis, not leg or neck pain. This peripheral nerve issue lacks the meningeal signs triggered by neck flexion, ruling it out as the cause in this scenario fully here.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Speaking very slowly distorts speech, worsening comprehension in presbycusis, an age-related high-frequency hearing loss. Facing the client aids lip-reading, but excessive slowness disrupts natural cadence, reducing clarity for those with sensorineural deficits typically seen here.
Choice B reason: Speaking directly, slightly slower, in a clear voice enhances understanding in presbycusis. Facing the client supports visual cues, while normal volume avoids distortion, addressing high-frequency loss effectively without assuming blockage or overcompensating unnecessarily for this condition.
Choice C reason: Presbycusis is sensorineural, not conductive from blockages like cerumen. Preparing to remove nonexistent wax misdiagnoses this age-related cochlear degeneration, wasting time and missing the communication adjustments needed for effective care in this scenario entirely.
Choice D reason: Raising the voice distorts sound, worsening presbycusis comprehension, as shouting amplifies lower frequencies, not the lost high ones. Assuming a “good ear” ignores bilateral degeneration, making this less effective than clear, direct speech for communication here.
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