Development and validation of a fall risk prediction model integrating objective gait metrics for patients with cerebral small vessel disease: protocol for a two-phase study

Abstract: Gait impairment in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is often insidious in onset and constitutes a significant risk factor for falls, leading to severe health and economic consequences. Accurate prediction of fall risk in this population is critical for timely intervention. However, current clinical practice relies on subjective assessment scales (eg, the Morse Fall Scale), which are insensitive to the early, complex and heterogeneous gait abnormalities characteristic of CSVD, leading to under-detection of high-risk individuals until advanced stages. This protocol describes a planned study to develop and validate a novel, objective fall risk prediction model for patients with CSVD, leveraging quantitative gait analysis instruments to capture key kinematic parameters.