The purpose of testing for the Romberg sign is to assess proprioceptive (position sense) function in the lower extremities.

Romberg testing is quickly and easily performed, and it should be included during most neurologic examinations. It should be performed particularly on all patients who have a complaint of balance or gait dysfunction or falls, in patients with neuropathies, or in any other patient in whom proprioceptive dysfunction is suspected.

Assuming that there is enough strength to stand, the ability to maintain a stable upright stance depends on the intactness of two neurologic mechanisms:

Both mechanisms (balance and sensation) are needed to be stable when upright. When your eyes are open, vision alone is enough to give you the sensory component of the equation. When your eyes are closed, the only way to tell where your feet and legs are in relation to the ground is through proprioceptive (joint position) sense.

None.