Article

Altered postural control and balance are major disabling issues of Parkinson's
disease (PD). Static and dynamic posturography have provided insight into PD's
postural deficits; however, little is known about impairments in postural
coordination. We hypothesized that subjects with PD would show more ankle
strategy during quiet stance than healthy control subjects, who would include
some hip strategy, and this stiffer postural strategy would increase with disease
progression. We quantified postural strategy and sway dispersion with inertial
sensors (one placed on the shank and one on the posterior trunk at L5 level)
while subjects were standing still with their eyes open. A total of 70 subjects
with PD, including a mild group (H&Y/=3,
N=37), were assessed while OFF and while ON levodopa medication. We also included
a healthy control group (N=21). Results showed an overall preference of ankle
strategy in all groups while maintaining balance. Postural strategy was
significantly lower ON compared to OFF medication (indicating more hip strategy),
but no effect of disease stage was found. Instead, sway dispersion was
significantly larger in ON compared to OFF medication, and significantly larger
in the more severe PD group compared to the mild. In addition, increased hip
strategy during stance was associated with poorer self-perception of balance.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS