Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;45(1):36-40.
doi: 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000338.

Navigating Through a COVID-19 World: Avoiding Obstacles

Brooke N Klatt  1 , Eric R Anson
Affiliations

Navigating Through a COVID-19 World: Avoiding Obstacles

Brooke N Klatt et al. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Individuals with balance and gait problems encounter additional challenges navigating this post-coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) world. All but the best fitting facemasks partially obscure the lower visual field. Facemask use by individuals with balance and gait problems has the potential to further compromise walking safety. More broadly, as the world reopens for business, balance and gait testing in clinics and research laboratories will also be impacted by facemask use. Here, we highlight some of the challenges faced by patients, clinicians, and researchers as they return to "normal" after COVID-19.Video Abstract is available for insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A328).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Column A, images showing 4 different types of masks: (1) surgical mask type 1, (2) surgical mask type 2, (3) K-N95 mask, and (4) N95 mask. Column B, the same images overlaid with image A1 to highlight how far each other mask protrudes forward away from the face, potentially further reducing the lower visual field.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A 72-year old man with (A) and without (B) bandana mask with forward gaze. First self-reported appearance of distal edge of box at 29.625 inches from tip of toes with bandana donned (A) and at 10.875 inches from tip of toes with bandana doffed (B).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
A 67-year old woman with (A) and without (B) homemade mask with forward gaze. First self-reported appearance of distal edge of box at 44.125 inches from tip of toes with mask (A) and at 17.75 inches from tip of toes without mask (B).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
A 50-year old man with (A) and without (B) N95 mask with forward gaze. First self-reported appearance of distal edge of box at 61.0625 inches from tip of toes with N95 mask donned (A) and at 24.75 inches from tip of toes with N95 mask doffed (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow Spread. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth.... Published 2020. Accessed May 27, 2020.
    1. Advani S, Smith B, Lewis S, Anderson DJ, Sexton DJ. Universal masking in hospitals in the COVID-19 era: is it time to consider shielding? Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2020;41(9):1066–1067. doi:10.1017/ice.2020.179. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Klompas M, Morris CA, Sinclair J, Pearson M, Shenoy ES. Universal masking in hospitals in the COVID-19 era. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(21):e63. doi:10.1056/nejmp2006372. - PubMed
    1. Warren WH, Kay BA, Yilmaz EH. Visual control of posture during walking: functional specificity. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1996;22(4):818–838. - PubMed
    1. Logan D, Kiemel T, Dominici N, et al. The many roles of vision during walking. Exp Brain Res. 2010;206:337–350. - PubMed