Step Length Variability during Gait Initiation in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with several changes in motor tasks including postural control and gait. As such, patients with PD are more likely to experience a fall than their aged-matched peers. In fact, 80 percent of patients with PD fall during the course of their disease with 30 percent falling weekly. Recent research suggests gait variability may be an important predictor of both mobility impairment and falls, which is particularly relevant to PD as instability is a key characteristic of the disease. Among the various spatiotemporal parameters used to evaluate gait variability, step length has been shown to be among the most reliable [1].