Table 1.
Clinical Assessment of Balance and Mobility in Essential Tremor
| First Author | ET (n) Control (n) | Mean Age (Years) | Method | Main Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singer et al.9 | 36 30 |
69.9; 69.2 |
Tandem walk (≥ 2 missteps); tremor score; |
ET patients had more tandem missteps than controls; 50% of ET patients had tandem walk abnormality; ET patients with missteps were older; tremor severity was not associated with tandem missteps |
| Hubble et al.7 | 60; 60 |
68; 68 |
Tandem walk (≥ 2 missteps); tremor score |
ET patients had more missteps during tandem walk; 50% of ET patients had tandem walk abnormality; age was a significant predictor of missteps |
| Lim et al.10 | 41; 44 |
60.9; 58.9 |
Tandem walk (≥ 2 missteps) | 29% of ET patients had tandem walk abnormality; 70% older ET patients (> 70 years) had tandem walk abnormality |
| Louis et al.8 | 122 | 77.1 | NE; tandem walk (≥ 2 missteps) | Tandem missteps were correlated with age, age of tremor onset, and the presence of neck and voice tremors; 30% of ET patients had tandem walk abnormality. Tandem missteps increased with cranial tremor score |
| Louis and Rao22 | 120 | 71.3 | Tandem walk (≥ 2 missteps); TICS | Tandem missteps correlated with age, cranial tremor, and TICS score; tandem walk abnormality was seen in 52% ET patients |
| Parisi et al.20 | 16 ET head tremor, 14 ET no head tremor; 28 control |
59.4; 57.1; 58.4 |
Clinical tests of balance (TUG, ABC and DGI); tremor score | ET patients with head tremor performed worse on clinical tests of balance and mobility except the Berg balance scale |
| Louis et al.11 | 59; 82 |
71.2; 71.6 |
NE; clinical tests of balance (ABC-6; BBS; falls, near falls) | Balance confidence was low in ET, particularly patients with head tremor; near falls highest in ET with head tremor (40% had >5 near falls) in comparison with controls (13% had > 5 near falls) |
| Cinar et al.6 | 90; 50 |
61.4; 60.9 |
Tandem walk; tremor score | First misstep occurred earlier in ET and was negatively correlated with age, and tremor score |
| Louis and Rao41 | 126 ET; 77 PD; 46 Dystonia 173 controls |
75.7; 74.4; 73.2; 74.1 |
NE; clinical tests of balance (ABC-6; falls, near falls) | Balance confidence, number of falls, and near falls were lowest in PD, followed by ET. Need for walking aids was greatest in PD, followed by ET cases |
| Louis et al.42 | 100 | 80.5 | NE, tandem walk, ABC; physical activity, MoCA | Lower physical activity associated with age, tandem missteps, MoCA score, and higher tremor score; tandem missteps, tremor score, and MoCA score were independent predictors of physical activity |
Abbreviations: ABC-6, Activities of Balance Confidence Scale; BBS, Berg Balance Scale; DGI, Dynamic Gait Index; ET, Essential Tremor; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment; NE, Neurological Examination; PD, Parkinson’s Disease; TICS, Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status; TUG, Timed Up and Go.