Fig 1.
Observation, rating, and measuring gait in PD.
Gait is commonly assessed by observation. The clinician uses a standardized scale, e.g., the motor part of the UPDRS, to rate gait performance. Nowadays, body worn sensors attached to the shoe enable measurement of prototypical PD gait features.
Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of PD patients and healthy controls.
Table 2.
Gait parameters of the 4x10 meter walk with initiation steps.
Fig 2.
Measures of short steps in PD patients and controls (cross-sectional study).
Stride length, gait velocity, stride time, stance phase, and swing phase time were calculated for controls and PD patients grouped according to H&Y disease stage (A), UPDRS-III total score (B), and the single item "gait" of the UPDRS-III (C). Group data are displayed as mean ± SEM. and compared using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. *p < 0.05.
Fig 3.
Measures of shuffling gait in PD patients and controls (cross-sectional study).
Foot clearance as well as heel strike and toe off angles are depicted according to H&Y disease stage (A), UPDRS-III total score (B), and rating of the single item "gait" of the UPDRS-III (C). Group data are displayed as mean ± SEM. and compared using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. *p < 0.05.
Fig 4.
Swing time variation is increased in PD patients with increased postural instability.
Swing time variation is unchanged when grouped according to H&Y disease stage (A). PD patients with higher postural instability, as identified by a rating of the single item "postural stability" of the UPDRS-III, show increased swing time variation (B). Group data are displayed as mean ± SEM. and compared using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. *p < 0.05.
Fig 5.
Longitudinal monitoring of individual gait parameters.
Gait was rated and gait parameters were measured from PD patients at baseline and follow-up visit. According to the UPDRS-III single item "gait," patients improved (I), worsened (W), or were stable (S). The change in stride length (A), gait velocity (B), stance phase time (C), and swing phase time (D) are given in %. Data are displayed as mean ± SEM. and compared using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. *p < 0.01.
Fig 6.
Scheme of measuring individual changes in gait parameters as measured by wearable sensors in PD during the course of the disease.