FND Education Project

REFERENCE · RECOVERY TECHNIQUES

Functional Gait Disorder: Detailed Recovery Techniques

This folder expands the brief descriptions on the [functional gait disorder recovery page](../05-functional-gait-disorder.md). Each detailed page describes the gait appearance most likely to fit, relevant anatomy in clinical and everyday language, clinician selection and procedure, supporter guidance, progression and regression, safety limits and the evidence boundary.

Original list: 13 entries

13 original entries still map to 13 pages: treadmill/support versus mirror feedback was split, while light-object/hand-task work and dual-task walking share one page. Equal totals therefore do not mean an unchanged one-to-one list. These are document counts, not counts of independently proven treatments. See the history audit.

  1. Rhythmic weight shift into steps: Rhythmic Weight Shift and Step Initiation for Functional Gait Disorder.
  2. Change speed: Speed and Continuous-Walking Transformation for Functional Gait Disorder.
  3. Foot sliding or “skiing”: Foot Sliding or “Skating” Progression for Functional Gait Disorder.
  4. Backward or sideways walking: Backward, Sideways and Direction-Change Walking for Functional Gait Disorder.
  5. External rhythm: External Rhythm and Auditory Cueing for Functional Gait Disorder.
  6. Exaggerated movement: Exaggerated Movement and Marching for Functional Gait Disorder.
  7. Light hand weights or another task: External Focus and Purposeful Dual-Task Walking for Functional Gait Disorder.
  8. Stairs as a bridge: Stairs as a Supervised Bridge for Functional Gait Disorder.
  9. Treadmill, mirror or body-weight support: Treadmill and Body-Weight-Supported Walking for Functional Gait Disorder; Mirror and Visual Feedback for Functional Gait Disorder.
  10. Dual-task walking: External Focus and Purposeful Dual-Task Walking for Functional Gait Disorder.
  11. Graded community walking: Graded Community Walking and Environmental Complexity for Functional Gait Disorder.
  12. Mobility aids and fall planning: Mobility Aids, Guarding and Fall Planning for Functional Gait Disorder.
  13. FND-informed physiotherapy and relapse planning: Individualized FND-Informed Rehabilitation and Relapse Planning for Functional Gait Disorder.

These pages cover selectable components and care guidance, not a thirteen-step protocol. A person may need one, several or none. Similar-looking gait patterns can arise from different or coexisting neurological, vestibular, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, sensory and medication-related conditions; diagnosis and safety assessment come before transformation practice.

The visible gait is not the only valid outcome. Fewer falls, safer transfers, reliable access to the bathroom, a tolerable community route, appropriate equipment and a workable flare plan may matter even when walking remains unusual. Failure of a technique does not measure effort, motivation, acceptance or potential for later improvement.

Evidence is uneven. One small randomized crossover trial tested a three-week inpatient programme in people diagnosed using the older term “psychogenic gait disorder.” Later trials tested mixed functional motor-disorder programmes. None identifies one named gait transformation as the active ingredient.