The sideways stepping test. (a) The patient is asked to stand with feet together and hands by the sides. They are then asked to close eyes or are blindfolded. A positive test is an involuntary lean to one side and hip sway. Sometimes the hand is lifted out to compensate. (b) The patient is asked to take two steps sideways and stop, first with eyes open and then with eyes closed or blindfolded. A positive test is an involuntary sway and/or taking a step to compensate. (c) The patient is asked to jog on the spot for 30 seconds with eyes closed or blind-folded. There should be no deviation. A positive test is an involuntary drifting, to one side, and sometimes forward or back. A positive test should be repeatable on subsequent occasions.
