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Goal-directed secondary motor tasks: their effects on gait in subjects with Parkinson disease.
- Source :
-
Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation [Arch Phys Med Rehabil] 2000 Jan; Vol. 81 (1), pp. 110-6. - Publication Year :
- 2000
-
Abstract
- Objective: To investigate the effects of secondary motor tasks of three levels of difficulty on the spatial and temporal parameters of gait in subjects with Parkinson disease (PD) compared with control subjects.<br />Design: A two-group repeated measures design using a sample of convenience. Subjects performed 10-meter gait trials walking (1) freely, (2) carrying a tray, and (3) carrying a tray with four plastic glasses.<br />Setting: Subjects were tested in the gait laboratory at Kingston Centre, Victoria, Australia.<br />Subjects: Twelve subjects with PD and 12 control subjects matched for age, height, and sex were recruited from the Movement Disorders Clinic at Kingston Centre.<br />Outcome Measures: Gait speed, stride length, cadence, and the proportion of the walking cycle spent in double limb support were measured in moderately disabled subjects with PD and control subjects.<br />Results: For all of the walking conditions, subjects with PD walked more slowly (F(1,22) = 16.54, p = .001, partial nu2 = .429) and with shorter steps (F(1,22) = 15.07, p = .001, partial nu2 = .406) than control subjects. In addition there were significant group by condition interaction effects for gait speed (F(2, 44) = 4.42, p = .018, partial nu2 = .167) and stride length (F(2, 44) = 4.95, p = .012, partial nu2 = .184). There was little deterioration in gait when subjects in either group carried a tray while walking compared with free walking; however, when required to carry four plastic glasses on the tray while walking, subjects in the PD group showed marked deterioration in gait speed (t(11) = 3.19, p = .009, alpha = .025) and stride length (t(11) = 3.82, p = .003, alpha = .025). Performance in the control subjects changed only marginally across the conditions.<br />Conclusion: Subjects with moderate disability in PD experience considerable difficulty when they are required to walk while attending to a complex visuomotor task involving the upper limbs.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0003-9993
- Volume :
- 81
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 10638885
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-9993(00)90230-2