Dynamic Neck Function During Gait in Patients With Dizziness

Dynamic Neck Function During Gait in Patients With Dizziness

This study aims to explore the possible association between dizziness and head-on trunk-movements and thus, neck movement and if this differs to healthy controls. Additional, the study will examine the reliability and validity of using wearable accelerometers to examine how the head moves relative to the trunk and to collect normative data on head on trunk movement.

Patients with dizziness will be recruited from a ear-nose and throat clinic. After giving written consent the patients will be tested with wearable sensors on their occiput and C6 vertebra during gait. Healthy controls will be recruited from students and employees at the Western Norway University of Applied Science and go through the same protocol as the patients.

The investigators will measure the relationship between the two sensors to explore how patients with dizziness move their-on-trunk during gait.

The projects main hypothesis is that patient with dizziness have reduced attenuation of gait-associated head oscillations with increased coupling of head-on-trunk motion, compared to healthy controls. The neck does not compensate for trunk movements, causing the head to follow the movement of the trunk.

Inclusion Criteria:

Locally referred Patients to an ear-nose-and throat (ENT) clinic at an University Hospital for dizziness symptoms.

Exclusion Criteria:

Any severe neurologic or orthopedic disease affecting gait.