Gait abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences Vol. 131; no. 2; pp. 156 - 161
• Main Authors: Boda, Wanda L., Natelson, Benjamin H., Sisto, Sue Ann, Tapp, Walter N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 01.08.1995; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Biomechanical Phenomena; CFS; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Fatigue; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - metabolism; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - physiopathology; Female; Gait; Gait - physiology; Humans; Kinematics; Kinesiology, Applied; Male; Medical sciences; Nervous system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Neurology; Oxygen Consumption; Running; Time Factors; Walking; CFS; Fatigue; Gait; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Kinematics; Human; Gait disorder; Walking; Chronic; Exploration; Video recording
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-510X(95)00108-E

To evaluate our clinical impression that patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) did not walk normally, we assessed gait kinematics at slow walking speeds (i.e., 0.45, 0.89 and 1.34 m/sec) and 30 m run time speeds on CFS patients and on a comparison group of sedentary controls. Run time was significantly slower for CFS than control subjects ( p < 0.001). There was a significant interaction ( p < 0.01) between group and speed for maximum hip angle during stance and swing phase with hip angle being significantly larger at 1.34 m/sec for CFS than controls subjects for both cases ( p < 0.05). Knee flexion during stance and swing phases was significantly larger for controls than CFS subjects at 0.45 m/sec ( p < 0.01). Ratio of stride length divided by leg length was significantly larger for the control subjects than for the CFS subjects with differences occurring at 0.45 and 0.89 m/sec ( p < 0.01) but not 1.34 m/sec. The data indicate that CFS patients have gait abnormalities when compared to sedentary controls. These could be due to balance problems, muscle weakness, or central nervous system dysfunction; deciding which will require further research. Evaluation of gait may be a useful tool to measure outcome following therapeutic interventions.