Article

The goal of this study was to determine if parameters of gait are related to the
path integration deficits in some people with vestibular disorders. We tested
normals, and two groups of vestibularly impaired people, with unilateral benign
paroxysmal positional vertigo and with unilateral weakness. Each group had 20
subjects. They walked straight ahead for 7.62 m, with eyes open or closed, to the
beat of a metronome at 60 beats/min, 120 beats/min and 176 beats/min. When
adjusted for age and sex, normals veered significantly less and walked
significantly further before veering than the unilateral weakness group; all
groups veered significantly less at 120 beats/min than the slower or faster
cadences. Older patients walked slightly but significantly slower than younger
patients at the faster speeds. Step length did not differ among diagnostic
groups. These data confirm the involvement of vestibular function in path
integration, suggest a differentiation by type of vestibular impairment, and
suggest some differences by cadence.
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Langue : ANGLAIS