Session Information
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016
Session Title: Parkinson's disease: Clinical trials, pharmacology and treatment
Session Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: Investigate the effects of a single session of treadmill gait training combined with cognitive tasks on dual-task gait in Parkinson’s disease.
Background: The loss of automaticity in Parkinson’s disease impairs performance of gait with concurrent activities (Dual-task). Considering that treadmill training may automate a better gait pattern than overground gait training, which has been shown by several studies involving simple task situations in Parkinson’s disease, these effects must also be investigated in the studies including dual-task.
Methods: Twenty-two volunteers, aged between 40 and 75 years, in the moderate phase of Parkinson’s disease and able to walk independently, were randomized into two groups: Control (n=11), with only treadmill gait training for 20 minutes; and Experimental (n=11), with treadmill training plus cognitive verbal fluency, memory and spatial planning tasks for 20 minutes. Participants were assessed for kinematic analysis (Qualisys Motion Capture System).
Results: There were no significant differences between groups; however, both exhibited improvements in post-training DT gait spatiotemporal variables. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures showed a main effect of time in the following spatiotemporal variables: speed (F=26.23; P≤0.001); dominant step length (F=7.48; P=0,013); non-dominant step length (F=14.27; P=0.001); and stride length (F=13.00; P=0.002). Regarding to angular variables, both groups did not exhibit improvements post-training.
Conclusions: Treadmill gait training, although not combined with a cognitive task, resulted in improved spatiotemporal variables during the DT. Thus, it is suggested that treadmill training alone can be used in clinical practice in order to facilitate the gait performance during concomitant tasks.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
A.V.C. Sousa, L.M.M. Santiago, R.E.O. Silva, A.P. Spaniol, D.A. Oliveira, É.R.V.P. Galvão, T.S. Ribeiro, A.R.R. Lindquist. Can treadmill training facilitate the dual-task gait in Parkinson’s disease? [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/can-treadmill-training-facilitate-the-dual-task-gait-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed September 7, 2024.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/can-treadmill-training-facilitate-the-dual-task-gait-in-parkinsons-disease/