Analysis of gait in patients with peripheral vestibular disorders.

Analysis of gait in patients with acute unilateral peripheral vestibular disorders was performed using foot switches and electromyography, with the aid of a telemetry system. Among the eight parameters set for the analysis, the occurrence rate of abnormality in the coefficient of variation (CV) was the highest (78%) for the time from heel strike to forefoot strike, followed by that of the location of maximum monophasic contraction of the gastrocnemius during stance, swing and stance. No significant laterality concerning the abnormally increased CV value in those parameters was found except for swing of the foot contralateral to the lesion side. The CV value of each parameter was significantly increased by removing visual cues, suggesting the importance of visual input for steady locomotion. No significant change in CV values of double support was obtained during the acute stage of vestibular neuronitis, indicating that weight transfer from one leg to the other could be smooth even though some difficulty was expected. Abnormal parameters at an acute stage returned to normal limits at recovery stage. The physiological background of the obtained results is discussed.