Slight Changes in Walking and Balance after Traumatic Brain Injury

Past Studies

Past Studies indicate that many people report changes in walking and balance following traumatic injury to the brain. Some of these changes may be a direct result of injury to the brain or limbs and clinicians can determine this during their examination. In other cases, the cause can be difficult to find as multiple complex body systems such as the eyes, sensory and vestibular systems work together and as a whole to produce controlled muscle movement and balance.. If one of these body systems is disturbed by injury, it can effect the way an individual moves and perceives his or her body position to be in the environment, even though there is no obvious cause. Clinicians have been challenged to determine the source of walking and balance difficulties when no obvious reason could be detected by their examination.

This Study

This Study examined persons with complaints of changes in walking and balance that did not have an obvious cause following traumatic brain injury. A comprehensive evaluation of the balance, sensory and cognitive systems involved with walking and balance resulted in recognition of imbalances that were not detectable by other means. This testing was able to detect slight changes, the cause of the symptoms, and identified how the instability might effect the person– physically, emotionally, and functionally. Diagnosis is important, because in some cases, once the source of the problem is identified, treatment can result in improvements. The researchers suggest that even slight complaints of continuous problems with walking and balance reported by persons with traumatic brain injury should be investigated.

Who May Be Affected By These Findings

Persons with brain injury, caregivers, healthcare providers, researchers

Caveats

The number of participants in the study was small. The authors state it is possible, yet unlikely, that the walking and balance abnormalities were present in the persons with traumatic brain injuries before their brain injuries occurred.

Bottom Line

Slight but functionally significant changes in walking and balance can occur if the complex body systems responsible for coordinating controlled movements and balance are impaired following traumatic brain injury. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of the multiple body systems involved with walking and balance resulted in recognition of imbalances that were not detectable by other means. These researchers suggest that even slight complaints of continuous problems with walking and balance reported by persons with traumatic brain injury should be discussed with a rehabilitation physician or neurologist and investigated.

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