Vibrotactile biofeedback improves tandem gait in patients with unilateral vestibular loss

Abstract

In a crossover design, subjects with unilateral vestibular loss (UVL) practiced tandem gait with eyes closed on two days, two weeks apart, with and without vibrotactile biofeedback (BF) applied to the lateral trunk. Results showed an immediate improvement in postural stability (reduction of lateral center-of-mass displacement, trunk tilt, and medial-lateral step width) that was significantly larger than effects of practice alone. However, BF did not increase the rate of improvement or retention of improved stability during gait. © 2009 New York Academy of Sciences.