Psychogenic gait disorder: A randomized controlled trial of physical rehabilitation with one-year follow-up

Abstract

Substantial and lasting improvement can be achieved by inpatient rehabilitation of patients with psychogenic gait, and the gains are maintained during follow-up.

Cranial functional (psychogenic) movement disorders

“…Treatment options for cranial functional movement disorders are based on case series, case reports, and expert opinion consensus rather than randomised controlled trials, although much better treatment evidence is now emerging for functional motor disorders [49][50][51][52] and non-epileptic seizures [53][54][55] . .…”

Functional neurological disorders: mechanisms and treatment

“…Treatment effects were sustained at 25 months. A similar inpatient approach was used in the first randomised trial of physiotherapy [65]. This study used a delayed treatment design to investigate a 3-week physical and sports therapy inpatient programme with 1-year follow-up for patients with functional gait disorder.…”

“…The benefit was seen at the end of treatment (T2 and T3) and sustained at 1 year (T4). (Reproduced with permission from Jordbru et al[65]. )…”

Reply to: Psychogenic movement disorders: What's in a name?

“…LaFaver and Hallett 4 and Edwards and colleagues 3 further describe the potential role of inpatient treatment with physiotherapy alone 21,22 that can correct the abnormal movements, implying that psychotherapy is not necessary and possibly also implying that psychogenicity was therefore not a cause. We believe that physiotherapy and occupational therapy can be of immense value in the treatment of patients with a PMD.…”