Vol.95 No.5 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 95 No. 5 May 2002
Vertigo and Gait Analysis
Kazuo Ishikawa, Yan Wang, Yutaka Shibata,
Weng Hoe Wong and Yoshiaki Itasaka
(Akita University)
Human locomotion (gait) is a complex motor function, and it developed during the first several years after birth to establish functional synergy for this well controlled whole body movement.
Gaits initiated by inner will are controlled at many levels such as by the vestibular system, visual system, kinaesthetic system and gait control system in the central nervous system. Accordingly, a certain lesion in this controlling system could cause behavioral abnormality and/ or pattern abnormality in a gait. Gait analysis should delineate these abnormalities.
Data obtained by gait analysis using foot switches and electromyography or a tactile sensor (F-scan) in patients with vestibular system disorders are presented. In cases with peripheral vestibular disease, gait instability did occur, which was evidenced by a higher rate of occurrence of abnormality in gait phase- related parameters, especially in the coefficient of variation of time from hindfoot strike to forefoot strike.
Changes in other variables were greater in subjects with disorders of the central vestibular system. When we examined the patients using a tactile sensor, we found a tendency in the peripheral cases for foot pressure to be greater on the lesion side foot, especially in gait with eyes closed. In central lesioned cases, the irregularity of foot pressure progression was severer than that in the peripheral cases along with a greater irregularity of trajectories of center of force during stance. Also changes in other gait-related parameters were obtained, which were depicted by a greater value of coefficient of variation such as stance, swing, double supports and so on, indicating degree of instability. Some changes showed a certain lesion in patients with a seemingly normal gait.
Key words : vertigo, gait analysis, foot switch, tactile sensor