Article

Balance and mobility problems are common for people with Parkinson
disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships of motor and cognitive
impairments with specific balance and mobility task performance. METHODS: A total
of 82 community-dwelling people with idiopathic PD were tested "on" medication.
Impairments measured included leg extensor and hip abductor muscle power,
freezing of gait, dyskinesia, and executive function. Balance and mobility were
classified into tasks requiring anticipatory control with a change in base of
support, anticipatory control without a change in support, and reactive
adjustments in response to external perturbations. Associations between
impairments and tasks were examined using univariable and multivariable linear
regression models. RESULTS: Univariable models revealed that muscle power was
significantly related to balance and mobility, explaining 7% to 33% of the
variability in task performance. Freezing of gait, dyskinesia, and executive
function were not consistently related to task performance. Multivariable models
that included all impairments plus disease severity, age, gender, and height
explained 5% to 43% of the variability in balance and mobility tasks. Leg muscle
power was the only impairment with a consistent association with performance of
tasks involving anticipatory control with a change in base of support (beta = 0.2
to 0.5), but the association of each muscle group was specific to individual
tasks. CONCLUSION: Information gained from this study about the relationships
between impairments and specific balance and mobility tasks may be able to guide
the development of interventional strategies for people with PD.

Langue : ANGLAIS