Question for you..walking with eyes closed..

[Wobbly]

hi everyone, one of the tests I had done was to walk with my eyes closed.  I couldn't walk very well at all.  The Dr said can you tell where you are putting your feet?  and I didn't know the answer.. it was confusing to me at the time. and he repeated Can you tell where you are putting your feet?  I said I guess not... and it went directly too his office which I followed him.  Of course I didn't ask him what that meant???

does anyone have any idea what it would mean?

thanks
wobbly
undx

[PastorDan]

Wow.  I just wrote that post (4th up from this one) 7.5 weeks ago.  Tonight I stumbled onto this thread, and couldn't remember ever seeing it.

I've come to the conclusion that walking with the eyes closed is more or less one neuro's variation on Romberg.  Romberg seems more objective, but they're looking for the same thing.  If you lose the visual input by closing your eyes, do you still have the vestibular and proprioceptive systems providing input adequate to maintain balance?  If not, you have a problem with one or the other.

Since my BAER, ENG & VNG were all negative, but I am positive on Romberg, it must be my nervous system.  I really think I need a spinal MRI.  Somewhere I read that the dorsal columns of the spine would be involved.  It might have said the cervical spine; I can't really recall right now.

[LATW]

Interesting. Wonder what they would do with a person who can not stand with their eyes open for more than 15 seconds with their eyes OPEN. ME...

I can not lift one foot off the ground let alone stay balanced without major support.

this is interesting.  My babinski test my left toes respond as they should but my right toes my toes fan out downward while my big toe stays still.  

I was told both feet should be the same. ????

[Wobbly]

thanks for the replies, this Dr is the Rehab Dr at the MS clinic that I go to... the MS specialist referred me to him awhile ago and he did an Neuro exam etc... then told me to go for blood tests and come back with my hubby, he said he wanted to ask him some questions about what my hubby thinks about all my symptoms?

I'll let you know how it goes..

take care
wobbly
undx

[hbananas]

Yes, tandem is heel-to-toe walking (or toe-to-heel backwards).  My Babinski is indifferent, but I have "diminished joint position sense" in my big toes.

[PastorDan]

Yes, as Lulu said, Dennis has it.  My brain's not clear enough this morning, but the term "proprioception" comes to mind.  Maybe that will help someone find the right explanation.

Also in line with comments by #54, none of my several neuros, PTs, CNPs, or Ph.Aud's have had me do both at once.  With Romberg, I am not good most of the time.  By tandem walk, do we mean the heel-to-toe walking?  If so, I struggle with that even worse than Romberg.  Very shaky, and can't go but a couple of steps before I must step out to regain balance -- eyes wide open.  Neg on Babinski, though.

[Mand125]

hbananas - Backwards tandem with eyes shut?! Just the thought makes me shudder.

Seriously though my neuro has never asked me to walk with my eyes shut but I know I would have great difficulty. An Udkas mentioned washing hair in the shower, I have the same problem, I have to keep my eyes open.

Mand

[Lulu54]

Dennis wins the prize for the most logical/ sensible answer  here.  Great call!
L

[Sailorsong]

I do know this answer. I really do! I hade mentioned to one of my neuros about how I lose my balance when I close my eyes. He then had me try to walk with my eyes closed. He said that because of my balance problems I am relying on visual information to tell me my position since I don't feel things with my legs correctly. I assume that your neuro had you walk with you eyes closed to  determine if you were useing visual clues to help you walk.

Dennis

[meg321]

Hi,

i cant walk with my eyes closed or when it is dark...its the dizziness i have.

hugs, meg

[Udkas]

Hi there,
My previous neuro made me walk with my eyes closed which I didn't or couldn't do at all.  I find that I can't wash my hair in the shower anymore with my eyes closed or I find myself starting to fall.  When they do the bending toe test to see if your toes are back or forward etc. I have no idea where they are either.

My current neuro has never asked me to do either of these tests but I struggle with the tandem walk so I don't think he would make me do that, I know I can't do it but years ago I could.  Some of this stuff is just normal aging stuff but I find also if I am outside at night I struggle walking properly sometimes.....

I think it is a balance type test and the sense of position with your limbs etc?

How did you appointment go? Was this a new neuro?  Good luck with it all.

Cheers,
Udkas.

[hbananas]

My MS neuro does the usual walk on your toes, walk on your heels, walk tandem, then try to walk tandem with eyes shut.  I can do fine with eyes open, but can't tandem with them shut.  The real killer is backwards tandem eyes shut.  He says that it means that I do have a balance problem, but it's not much.  I have noticed that if I go for a walk at night, I stagger a tiny bit.

A variation of the Romberg is to try to stand on one foot with your eyes shut. You barely have to lift one foot off the floor. I can't do it, but neither can my husband.  My adult kids can do all that stuff.

Is it just normal aging, or part of the demyelination?  Hard to say, when it's not bad, and only punctate brain lesions.

[Wobbly]

could be that...I do seem to have a bad Balance problem...maybe they are looking at the area too??  

thanks for the replies... I see this Dr again next week for all the blood tests results..

I'll ask him then and let you know why he did that test...

take care
wobbly
undx

[luverofrogs]

I have a thought on this......  I wonder if what they were trying to find out was if you could sense where the floor was without being able to see it.  I know that there are times when I feel like either the world is tilting or I am.  Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to walk on a boat tossing in the waves.  Maybe they were looking for something like that.

[Lulu54]

Huh?  Your exam of walking with your eyes closed really throws me - so much I went back and watched the gait exam clip again through Temple Universit to see if that was something I missed

http://isc.temple.edu/neuroanatomy/lab/neuexam/gait_hs.htm

It is not there either.  How weird - yes there were several times I was asked to close my eyes.  And I was also asked to walk.  But never close my eyes and walk at the same time.  Curious.........

Lulu

[borntolose102]

never heard of that one..heck my gait is for **** with my eyes open. How in the heck can one get info based on your eyes being closed. First of all there is coordination problem as is. That is quite confusing....