Gait Analysis in Patients with Meniere's Disease

Phase Shift in the Gait Cycle

Abstract

Studies on disequilibrium have been conducted with gait analysis of patients with Meniere's disease in a basic program of gait training. Using the same apparatus and program of analysis, we measured the duration of the stance phase, the swing phase and the double support phase of the gait cycle to determine the differences between the right and left legs and the changes in the gait cycle at various walking speeds.
We tested 25 patients with a definitive diagnosis of Meniere's disease in a quiescent phase and 15 healthy adults. All the subjects were instructed to walk at ordinary, faster-than-ordinary and slower-than-ordinary speeds. The Meniere's disease patients were divided into three groups : group O without nystagmus, group R with rightward positional nystagmus and group L with leftward positional nystagmus.
No significant difference in the unit pace duration of stance and swing phases of either right and left leg was noted between the O, R, L and healthy groups. Nor was there any significant difference when the pace was varied.
There was a significant difference, however, in the duration of the double support phase consistent with the direction of nystagmus (vestibular asymmetry), that is, a "phase shift", in patients with nystagmus alone when they walked at ordinary and faster-than-ordinary speeds. This phase shift can be considered to be a measure of a latent abnormal gait pattern.