title: Spatiotemporal gait parameters for patients with Parkinson's disease compared with normal individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gait initiation is a major motor problem for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). To understand the gait initiation in patients with PD, fluctuation on the first three steps of initiation was examined
  
  
  METHODS
  Force distribution measurement platform was used to record gait initiation in 10 patients with PD and healthy participants. Step length, step time and step width, as well as its coefficient of variation (CV) were investigated
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings demonstrated significant main effect of group on step length (p < 0.001), step time (p = 0.034) and step width (p = 0.002), significant main effect of step on step time (p < 0.001) and step width (p < 0.001). No interaction between group and step (p > 0.05) was found on the variables. Compared with healthy participants, patients with PD showed significantly shorter step length in the first (p < 0.001), second (p = 0.001) and third (p = 0.001) steps and longer step time in the second step (p < 0.001). No difference in CV (p > 0.05) of the variables between groups comparison. Both groups had significant longer step time in the first step compared with the second step (PD, p < 0.001; healthy participants, p < 0.001) and the third steps (PD, p < 0.001; healthy participants, p < 0.001). They demonstrated significant wider step width in the first step when compared with the second step (PD, p = 0.043; healthy participants, p < 0.001) and the third steps (PD, p = 0.002; healthy participants, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with PD showed shorter step length of all steps, longer step time in the second step and similar step width when compared with healthy participants. Among the three steps, both groups demonstrated longer step time and wider step width in the first step when compared with other two step.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sunee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bovonsunthonchai
authors.forename: Roongtiwa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vachalathiti
authors.forename: Apichart
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pisarnpong
authors.forename: Fuengfa
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khobhun
authors.forename: Vimonwan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hiengkaew
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: gait initiation; parkinson's disease; spatiotemporal