Approach to a case with functional gait disorder (tur)

Abstract

Functional gait disorder is a common disorder seen in 8-10% of patients with psychogenic movement disorder. Many functional gait disturbances mimic neurological diseases. Astasis-abhasia, which is the most easily detected finding, is frequently observed in these patients. Patients stumble, balance momentarily and even though they seem to be in danger of falling, they always rescue themselves at the last moment and generally do not get hurt. Like all functional disorders, gait disorders can occur acutely following a psychosocial stressor. Some clues such as the fluctuating course of symptoms, abnormal slowing of movements, sudden bends in the knees and psychogenic Romberg are helpful in terms of differential diagnosis. Although the functional nature of the disorder can be recognized with careful examination, appropriate treatment of these patients requires sufficient time and effort. It is very important to establish a therapeutic relationship with the patient, to explain the relationship between symptoms and diagnosis in a plain and non-aggressive language. This functional disorder requires an individualized treatment approach. In this article, a 23-year-old female patient with mild mental retardation who presented for evaluation of complaints such as inability to stand up and walk, jerk-like movements in both arms and legs, and an abnormal posture due to continuous lateral bending is described. Clinical symptoms, possible underlying factors, treatment attempts, clinical follow-up and factors affecting the treatment success of the patient who had a complete recovery with the treatment applied in our clinic are discussed in this article.

Keywords

• functional gait disorder
• functional movement disorder
• conversion
• psychogenic gait disorder