Walking balance recovery in people with unilateral vestibular hypofunction.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundPeople with vestibular hypofunction (PwVH) often demonstrate abnormal gait and increased fall risk. An analysis of the strategies used for maintaining walking balance is lacking in PwVH.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine how PwVH use recovery strategies and maintain stability following perturbations.MethodsPwVH and healthy controls were perturbed during walking with mediolateral ground shifts while kinematic responses were recorded.ResultsAs a group, PwVH (n = 9, unilateral loss) responded similarly to healthy participants (n = 15) with changes in foot placement, ankle inversion, ankle push-off, and trunk sway. However, responses in PwVH depended on the vestibular lesion side and functional compensation as assessed by the Functional Gait Assessment (F

SUBMITTER: Harter MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12721396 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature