People with degenerative cervical myelopathy have impaired reactive balance during walking.
Timothy F Boerger, Learon McGinn, Megan Bellman and 3 others
PMID 38412683WHAT IT FOUND
People with degenerative cervical myelopathy showed impaired reactive balance during walking, with larger body sway and delayed gluteus medius muscle responses compared to controls.
These deficits did not correlate with standard clinical balance scales, suggesting current assessments may miss walking-specific instability.
Key findings
01Participants with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) had significantly larger center of mass motion following lateral perturbations during walking compared to controls.
02Gluteus medius muscle response amplitude was lower and delayed in participants with DCM compared to controls.
03Changes in center of mass motion did not correlate with standard clinical measures like the Berg Balance Scale or Functional Gait Assessment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (10 per group) limits generalizability. Participants were high-functioning and post-surgical, so findings may not apply to those with severe myelopathy or pre-surgical patients. Walking with arms across the chest and controlled foot placement may have altered natural balance responses. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if reactive balance improves with treatment.
Declared interests
All authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that normal scores on the Berg Balance Scale or Functional Gait Assessment indicate intact reactive balance during walking in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy. The study found that reactive balance deficits were not correlated with these clinical measures, meaning patients can appear functionally stable on standard tests while still having impaired dynamic stability.