@article{ref1,
title="Case report on fear of falling syndrome: a debilitating but curable gait disorder",
journal="American journal of case reports",
year="2019",
author="Miles, Daniel T. and Horak, Richard D. and Ghaffari-Rafi, Arash and Eum, Ki Suk and Jahanmir, Jay",
volume="20",
number="",
pages="1587-1591",
abstract="BACKGROUND Fear of falling syndrome is a rare and often-missed disorder among patients with new-onset gait abnormality. The disorder is often mistaken for an organic neurologic problem, with some considering it to be a medical emergency. CASE REPORT This case report presents a 70-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department due to inability to rise from a chair or ambulate independently. Onset of his chief complaint occurred subsequent to a traumatic fall in a public location. He underwent extensive workup, and an organic neurologic cause was ruled out. He was subsequently diagnosed with fear of falling syndrome after obtaining a detailed fall history, as well as utilizing a verified survey (the Falls Efficacy Scale-International). After extensive inpatient treatment, the patient improved significantly. However, upon discharge to a skilled nursing facility, he was not offered the recommended treatment. When he was readmitted for an unrelated reason 3 months later, he had regressed to the state he was in at the time of prior admission. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS This case presents a rare debilitating but reversible gait disorder, and highlights the importance of assessing &quot;fall history&quot; and fear of falling in older adults. Uniquely, this case presents the rapid fluctuation in outcomes dependent on treatment, and what happens when a patient fails to complete treatment regimens. The report also provides an overview of fear of falling with the corresponding gait disorder.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1941-5923",
doi="10.12659/AJCR.918879",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.12659/AJCR.918879"
}