title: Altered Dynamic Postural Control during Step Turning in Persons with Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease.
abstract: Persons with early-stage Parkinson's disease (EPD) do not typically experience marked functional deficits but may have difficulty with turning tasks. Studies evaluating turning have focused on individuals in advanced stages of the disease. The purpose of this study was to compare postural control strategies adopted during turning in persons with EPD to those used by healthy control (HC) subjects. Fifteen persons with EPD, diagnosed within 3 years, and 10 HC participated. Participants walked 4 meters and then turned 90°. Dynamic postural control was quantified as the distance between the center of pressure (COP) and the extrapolated center of mass (eCOM). Individuals with EPD demonstrated significantly shorter COP-eCOM distances compared to HC. These findings suggest that dynamic postural control during turning is altered even in the early stages of PD.
authors.affiliation: Jacquelin Perry Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory, Division of Biokinesology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9006, USA.
authors.forename: Jooeun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sigward
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Salem