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Multiple Choice

Gower's sign is most commonly associated with which condition?

Gower's sign shows up when the proximal hip and thigh muscles are weak. A child who can’t rise from the floor using leg strength alone will push up with the hands on the thighs and then bring the torso upright, essentially using the arms to compensate for proximal muscle weakness. This pattern is a classic clue for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, where dystrophin deficiency causes progressive weakness of the proximal muscles starting in early childhood. Alongside the Gower maneuver, children may have toe-walking, frequent falls, and calf pseudohypertrophy, all pointing toward Duchenne. The other conditions listed are structural CNS/spinal issues and don’t produce this proximal weakness pattern, so they aren’t associated with Gower’s sign.

Gower's sign shows up when the proximal hip and thigh muscles are weak. A child who can’t rise from the floor using leg strength alone will push up with the hands on the thighs and then bring the torso upright, essentially using the arms to compensate for proximal muscle weakness.

This pattern is a classic clue for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, where dystrophin deficiency causes progressive weakness of the proximal muscles starting in early childhood. Alongside the Gower maneuver, children may have toe-walking, frequent falls, and calf pseudohypertrophy, all pointing toward Duchenne.

The other conditions listed are structural CNS/spinal issues and don’t produce this proximal weakness pattern, so they aren’t associated with Gower’s sign.