Gait alteration among older adults with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo / Haziqah Nasruddin

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a common peripheral vestibular disorder and is more prevalent in older adults. One of the main subjective complaints among older adults is gait unsteadiness instead of vertigo attack; however, exploration on this area rarely been done. This study aimed to investigate gait performance and spatiotemporal gait characteristics during straight walking and turning in older adults with BPPV (OABPPV) compared to adults with BPPV (ABPPV) and healthy older adults (WBPPV). Sixty-six individuals (22 OABPPV, 22 ABPPV and 22 WBPPV) were recruited in this cross-sectional study design. The spatial temporal gait parameters were captured using a video analysis system during participants performed the Timed Up and Go test. The study setup required a 6 meters walking pathway with a 3-meter width turning area. A digital video camera (30fps) was located 6 meters away in the sagittal plane and 3 meters away in the frontal plane. The gait parameters were analyzed using the Kinovea software.The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare gait characteristics. The results of this study showed that the gait performance of OABPPV is more affected compared to the ABPPV and WBPPV. No significant differences in spatio-temporal gait characteristics during straight walking were observed among OABPPV and WBPPV. However, the time and number of steps taken to complete the turn increased among OABPPV compared to WBPPV. Furthermore, this study observed that most OABPPVs completed the turn in absence of pivot, taking <3 minutes and > 5 steps which may indicate that these individuals have turning difficulty. This study concludes that alteration of gait among OABPPV were markedly observed during turning. Therefore, it highlights the need for a specific intervention on gait such as gait assessment during turning and additional vestibular rehabilitation exercises to improve gait.