Gait Disorders Of Aging

Gait and balance disorders are common in the elderly and an important source of morbidity. They contribute in a measurable way to the risk for falls and fall-related injury. These disorders are essentially an interdisciplinary problem. Neurology, neurophysiology, rehabilitation medicine, orthopedics, and geriatrics all have different approaches to problems of mobility in the elderly. The authors have produced a book which will be useful and accessible to practitioners in all of these disciplines. The book includes epidemiology, sections on methods, treatment and approaches to rehabilitation, some discussion of normal physiology, and a review of diseases which contribute to gait and balance disorders.

Balance, Gait, and Falls, Volume 159 presents the latest information on sensorimotor anatomy, sensory integration, gravity and verticality, standing balance, balance perturbations, voluntary stepping and gait initiation, gait and gait adaptability, disorders of balance and gait that result from aging and neurological diseases. The book provides a brief overview of age-related changes in the structure and function of sensorimotor and central processes, with sections specifically devoted to Parkinson’s disease, parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, stroke, corticobasal degeneration, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, tremor, Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, cerebral palsy, polio, motor neuron disease, brainstem lesions, spinal lesions, peripheral nerve disease, and psychogenic conditions. Diseases covered have a common structure comprising background and epidemiology, pathology, balance disorders, gait disorders, falls, therapies (including fall prevention), and future directions. Covers all aspects of basic and clinical research on disorders of balance and gait in neurological disease Presents a multidisciplinary review of balance and gait physiology, the epidemiology and natural history of balance and gait impairments in aging, and a broad range of neurological diseases Addresses impairments of balance and gait for basic and clinical researchers in neuroscience, human movement science, physiotherapy and exercise physiology

With chapters by many of the foremost international authorities on aging, neurology, physical therapy, and rehabilitation, this reference provides an up-to-date review of approaches to gait disorders and falls. This volume presents the fundamental concepts of gait and describes the changes in mobility with aging and disease. A focus is placed on recent assessment and intervention practices for common gait disorders, especially those seen in older adults, including sections on neuro-psychological influences, fear of falling and exercise, and strategies for specific disease groups, such as patients with neurological disorders or those recovering from stroke or hip surgery.

Unique case-based guide to generating diagnostic possibilities based on the patients' symptoms. Invaluable for psychiatrists and neurologists.

As the Baby Boomers age, concerns over healthcare systems' abilities to accommodate geriatric patients grow increasingly challenging. This is especially true with the population deemed to be “the oldest of the old,” specifically those over the age of 85. Unlike any other time in history, this demographic is the fastest growing segment of most developed countries. In the United States the oldest old is projected to double from 4.3 million to 9.6 million by 2030. The increased life expectancy of the population since the early 1900s has been built on the improvement of living conditions, diet, public health and advancement in medical care. With this we have seen a steady decline in the age-specific prevalence of vascular and heart diseases, stroke and even dementia. Older persons are healthier today than their counterparts decades ago. More importantly than in any other age group, the care of the oldest old must be individualized; management decisions should be made taking into consideration the older persons’ expressed wishes, quality of life, function and mental capacity. The inevitable consequence is that there will be an increase in the prevalence of older persons with chronic diseases, multiple co-existing pathologies and neuro-degenerative diseases. The oldest of the aging population are often excluded from drug trials and their treatments are largely based on findings extrapolated from that of the younger old. Furthermore, among the oldest old, physiologically they are more diverse than other segments of the population. Their demographic characteristics are unparalleled and different compared to that of the younger old. Several studies have drawn attention to the differing attitudes among health professionals towards elderly people and many show prejudice because they are old. As a result, the use of age as a criteria in determining the appropriateness of treatment is of very limited validity, yet there are limited resources that guide physicians through these challenges. This book creates a greater awareness of these challenges and offers practical guidelines for working within the infrastructures vital to this demographic. This book is designed for geriatricians, primary care physicians, junior medical officers, specialty geriatrics nurses, and gerontologists. It is divided into 3 sections: General Considerations, Chronic diseases and Geriatric Syndromes. Each chapter provides a summary of important and essential information under the heading of Key Points. Case studies are included in some of the chapters to highlight the principles of management.

This book will help physicians determine the causes behind different types of gait disorders and enable them to prescribe the correct treatments or refer patients to the appropriate specialists. This handbook covers all possible causes, including neurologic illness, lesions to the peripheral or central nervous system, psychogenic disturbances, or orthopedic problems. (Midwest).

This unique book reviews the information available in the literature regarding the new syndrome, frailty, in patients with various renal conditions, such as acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, as well as dialysis and transplant patients. The topic is of importance in nephrology, specifically nephrogeriatrics, since frailty is a condition affecting many elderly patients and which is becoming increasingly common in medical practice. As such, there is a considerable need for information to assist professionals treating these patients. The book includes chapters on the frailty syndrome (definition, evaluation and treatment), the main geriatric syndromes (gait disorder, falls, incontinence, and delirium), the main renal syndromes (acute renal injury, chronic kidney disease) as well as dialysis and kidney transplant, and the relationship between geriatrics and renal syndromes. Frailty and Kidney Disease: A Practical Guide to Clinical Management is an essential resource for general practitioners, researchers, internal medicine physicians, geriatricians, and nephrologists.

Principles and Practice of Movement Disorders provides the complete, expert guidance you need to diagnose and manage these challenging conditions. Drs. Stanley Fahn, Joseph Jankovic and Mark Hallett explore all facets of these disorders, including the latest rating scales for clinical research, neurochemistry, clinical pharmacology, genetics, clinical trials, and experimental therapeutics. This edition features many new full-color images, additional coverage of pediatric disorders, updated Parkinson information, and many other valuable updates. An accompanying Expert Consult website makes the content fully searchable and contains several hundred video clips that illustrate the manifestations of all the movement disorders in the book along with their differential diagnoses. Get just the information you need for a clinical approach to diagnosis and management, with minimal emphasis on basic science. Find the answers you need quickly and easily thanks to a reader-friendly full-color format, with plentiful diagrams, photographs, and tables. Apply the latest advances to diagnosis and treatment of pediatric movement disorders, Parkinson disease, and much more. View the characteristic presentation of each disorder with a complete collection of professional-quality, narrated videos online. Better visualize every concept with new full-color illustrations throughout. Search the complete text online, follow links to PubMed abstracts, and download all of the illustrations, at www.expertconsult.com.