Footstep adjustments used to turn during walking in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Turning during walking is frequently problematic in Parkinson's disease (PD). The spatiotemporal characteristics of footstep adjustments used to turn 60 and 120 degrees were examined in 10 people with PD and 10 age, gender- and height-matched control subjects, using three-dimensional motion analysis. Control subjects used a recognizable pattern of spatial and temporal footstep modulations to turn. Participants with PD demonstrated significant differences in almost all variables. They (1) failed to turn as far as their peers; (2) showed a similar but scaled-down pattern of spatial adjustments to turn; (3) used shorter strides when walking, with exaggerated reductions when turning; and (4) dem..