People with vestibular hypofunction (PwVH) have poor walking stability, characterized by increased trunk sway, increased spatiotemporal variability, and reduced margins of stability. PwVH may have poor walking stability because of the vestibular loss itself or because they adopt cautious gait patterns to compensate for the vestibular loss (e.g., slower walking with wider and shorter steps)....
This modeling study provides mechanistic insight into gait instability in vestibular hypofunction but does not yet offer a validated clinical tool; no immediate change to rehabilitation protocols is warranted.
A validated biomechanical model of vestibular-related gait instability could eventually guide targeted rehabilitation strategies and fall-risk assessment for patients with balance disorders.
- 01Biomechanical model quantifies trunk sway and gait variability in people with vestibular hypofunction.
- 02Spatiotemporal gait parameters were used as primary outcome measures to characterize instability.
- 03Modeling approach may help disentangle sensory vs. motor contributions to balance problems.
- 04Published in Journal of Biomechanics (DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2026.113418).
- 05Findings are preliminary and require prospective clinical validation before practice application.
People with vestibular hypofunction show increased trunk sway compared to controls during walking.
studypartially supportedSpatiotemporal gait variability is elevated in individuals with vestibular hypofunction.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42308803
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2026.113418.
- Journal
- Journal of Biomechanics
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- People with vestibular hypofunction (reduced inner-ear balance function)
- Intervention
- Biomechanical modeling of walking instability
Primary outcomes
Trunk sway magnitude during walking; Spatiotemporal gait variability