title: Quantitative gait analysis in Parkinson's disease: comparison with a healthy control group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare gait parameters in Parkinson's disease (PD) during the on-phase of medication cycle with those of healthy elderly control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group-comparison study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gait analysis laboratory of a university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients with PD and 9 healthy elderly controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic gait parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PD spatiotemporal results showed a significant reduction in step length and walking velocity compared with controls. In the kinematics, the major feature of the PD group was a markedly reduced ankle plantarflexion excursion (at 50%-60% of the gait cycle). Most important, the kinetics showed reduced ankle push-off power and hip pull-off power. Unlike the control subjects, the patients with PD did not show any correlation between ankle generation (push-off) power and stride length ( r =.19) or with gait speed ( r =.29). Correction for walking velocity did not result in significant changes in the kinetics between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced ankle (push-off) power generation and reduced hip flexion (pull-off) power persisted in PD gait despite being tested in the on-phase of the medication cycle. Lack of a correlation between ankle and hip power generation and walking velocity suggests that peripheral and central factors contribute to lack of forward progression. Patients with PD may benefit from intervention strategies that correct the kinematic and the kinetic gait components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Research, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Olumide
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sofuwa
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nieuwboer
authors.forename: Kaat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Desloovere
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chavret
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jonkers
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric