loading response stance stage [AS, lad, support; L, responsum, reply] , one of the five stages of the stance phase of walking or gait, specifically associated with the moment when the leg reacts to and accepts the weight of the body. The loading response stance stage is one of the factors in the diagnoses of many abnormal orthopedic conditions and is often studied in conjunction with analyses of the electromyographic activity of the muscles used in walking. Compare initial contact stance stage, midstance, preswing stance stage, terminal stance.
