Article

Gait abnormalities are a hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and contribute to
fall risk. Therapy and exercise are often encouraged to increase mobility and
decrease falls. As disease symptoms progress, assistive devices are often
prescribed. There are no guidelines for choosing appropriate ambulatory devices.
This unique study systematically examined the impact of a broad range of
assistive devices on gait measures during walking in both a straight path and
around obstacles in individuals with PD. Quantitative gait measures, including
velocity, stride length, percent swing and double support time, and coefficients
of variation were assessed in 27 individuals with PD with or without one of six
different devices including canes, standard and wheeled walkers (two, four or
U-Step). Data were collected using the GAITRite and on a figure-of-eight course.
All devices, with the exception of four-wheeled and U-Step walkers significantly
decreased gait velocity. The four-wheeled walker resulted in less variability in
gait measures and had less impact on spontaneous unassisted gait patterns. The
U-Step walker exhibited the highest variability across all parameters followed by
the two-wheeled and standard walkers. Higher variability has been correlated with
increased falls. Though subjects performed better on a figure-of-eight course
using either the four-wheeled or the U-Step walker, the four-wheeled walker
resulted in the most consistent improvement in overall gait variables. Laser
light use on a U-Step walker did not improve gait measures or safety in
figure-of-eight compared to other devices. Of the devices tested, the
four-wheeled-walker offered the most consistent advantages for improving mobility
and safety.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS