Diagnosis of psychogenic (functional) gait disorders

Abstract

Psychogenic gait is common in patients with medically unexplained neurological symptoms and provides significant challenges to healthcare providers. Clinicians may arrive at a correct diagnosis earlier if distinctive positive signs are identified and acknowledged. Psychogenic disorders of posture and gait are common and are the major manifestation in 8–10 % of patients with psychogenic movement disorders. Psychogenic movement disorders can present with varied phenomenology that may resemble organic movement disorders. The diagnosis is based on clinical evaluation with a supporting history and classic features on neurologic examination. In functional gait disorders, walking is often bizarre and does not conform to any of the usual patterns observed with neurologic gait disorders. Astasia-abasia, an inability to stand (astasia) or walk (abasia) in the absence of other neurologic abnormalities, was the term applied by investigators in the mid to late 19thcentury to describe certain patients with a frankly functional gait. Other descriptive terms include gaits that resemble walking on ice, walking a sticky surface, walking through water (bringing to mind excessive slowness), tightrope walking, habitual limping, and bizarre, robotic, knock-kneed, trepidant, anxious, and cautious gaits. Ancillary testing, such as imaging and neurophysiologic studies, can provide supplementary information but is not necessary for diagnosis.