brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Neurologic Examination
Coordination, Balance, and Gait
 Coordination Disorders and walking (gait) require integration of signals from sensory and motor nerves by the brain and spinal cord. To test walking, doctors ask a person to walk normally and in a straight line, placing one foot in front of the other. Abnormalities may help identify which part of the nervous system is not functioning normally. For example, if a person takes wide, unsteady steps (called ataxia), the cerebellum may be damaged or malfunctioning. (The cerebellum is the part of the brain that coordinates voluntary movements and controls balance.) To test coordination, doctors may ask the person to use the forefinger to reach out and touch the doctor’s finger, then the person’s own nose, and then to repeat these actions rapidly. The person may be asked to do these actions first with the eyes open, then with the eyes closed. The Romberg test is done to test position sense. The person stands still with both feet together as close as possible without losing balance. Then the eyes are closed. If balance is lost, information about position from the legs may not be reaching the brain, usually because the nerves or spinal cord is injured. However, abnormalities may also result from malfunction of the cerebellum or the balance system in the inner ears or its connections with the brain. 