causes-of-fall-and-balance-impairment

Exploring the causes of falls and balance impairments in people with neuromuscular diseases

Background

Falls are common in people with neuromuscular disorders (NMD). But so far there has been little formal investigation of this problem. Frequent falling increases the risk of injury and reduces mobility due to perceived risk of falls.

Primary objective

To determine falls risk in people with NMD from measurement of:

• falls incidents
• balance impairment
• and clinical presentation

Recruitment

Patients with:

• Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) diseases
• Distal Myopathy (DM)
• Sensory Neuropathy (SN)
• Healthy controls

The three conditions have been chosen for comparison as this will allow some discernment between the sensory and motor contributions to falls.

Measurements of static, anticipatory and reactive balance impairment and prospective falls events will be used to determine relationships with clinical presentation in people with these diseases.