Paul, L M, Wood, L, Maclaren, W · Gait & posture · 2001 · DOI
This study looked at whether people with ME/CFS have problems with walking and balance, and whether light exercise makes these problems worse. Researchers compared 11 ME/CFS patients with 11 healthy people and found that while ME/CFS patients did show different walking patterns, their balance was similar to healthy controls, and the exercise test did not worsen either group's balance or gait.
This study provides objective evidence for gait abnormalities that ME/CFS patients report experiencing, validating these anecdotal complaints. Understanding whether exercise worsens balance and gait is important for determining safe activity levels and rehabilitation approaches in ME/CFS.
This study does not establish that gait abnormalities cause functional limitations or disability in ME/CFS, nor does it prove that these abnormalities result from deconditioning. The study also cannot determine whether gait changes worsen with higher-intensity exercise or over longer timeframes, as only light exercise was tested.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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