Change of Gait after Unilateral Vestibular Neuritis: A Prospective Longitudinal Observation Study

Although symptoms of unilateral vestibular neuritis (uVN) resolve spontaneously, there is unclearness in the recovery of gait. Prospective longitudinal studies on gait parameters after uVN are lacking. In this study, twenty three participants with uVN and 20 controls were included. 3D gait analyses were conducted thrice after uVN onset. From the gait analysis data, spatio-temporal parameters, inclination angle (IA) representing the relationship between CoM and CoP in the frontal plane, and IA variability were obtained. Time effects on gait metrics were tested. Walking speed improved significantly between the 1 st and 3 rd tests, but they were within normal range, even in the 1 st test. The step width of participants with uVN was significantly larger than that of control in the 1 st test and improved to normal in the 2 nd test. Variability of IA in affected side was significantly larger than that in controls in the 1 st test and improved significantly in the 3 rd test compared to the 1 st test. Improvement of overall gait function and neural adaptation of mediolateral stability during gait continued during the recovery stage of uVN (after two months from onset). Rehabilitation intervention should be continued during the recovery stage of uVN to enhance appropriate adaptation in gait.