PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY – THE CHALLENGES IN THE STUDY OF
POSTURE AND GAIT.
Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) is a debilitating disease affecting the peripheral
nerves of the distal extremities. From a human movement perspective, PN patients
present with significant standing balance impairment when compared to age matched
controls. This disturbance is especially challenging to human movement specialists when
considering that mobility remains largely unaffected in this population. Quantification of
standing posture and gait with measures of stability and variability can provide us with a
better understanding of the movement impairments suffered by these patients. This
understanding can in turn help us to design effective interventions aimed at alleviating
the effects of PN. The LSU Peripheral Neuropathy Studies are investigating issues related
to these topics. The theoretical, physiological and clinic observations and considerations
related to our investigations will be discussed.