BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in motor disturbances that can impact normal gait. Although PD initially responds well to pharmacological treatment, as the disease progresses efficacy often fluctuates over the course of the day, and clinical management would benefit from long-term objective measures of gait. We have previously described a small devi...

[Purpose] The effects of various rhythmic auditory stimulation tempos on stroke gait pattern changes when training patients with a smartphone-based rhythmic auditory stimulation application were investigated. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen patients with chronic stroke were included. Cadence during comfortable walking was measured (baseline). After the baseline findings were recorded, rhythmic a...

[Purpose] This study sought to identify the gait aspects according to the FES stimulation position in stroke patients during gait training. [Subjects and Methods] To perform gait analysis, ten stroke patients were grouped based on 4 types of gait conditions: gait without FES stimulation (non-FES), gait with FES stimulation on the tibialis anterior (Ta), gait with FES stimulation on the tibialis...

The physiopathology of gait and balance disorders in Parkinson's disease patients is still poorly understood. Levodopa treatment and subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation improve step length and walking speed, with less effect on postural instability. These disorders have been linked to dysfunction of the descending basal ganglia outputs to brainstem structures. In this study, we evaluated the ...

Conventional subthalamic deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease (PD) presumably modulates the spatial component of gait. However, temporal dysregulation of gait is one of the factors that is tightly associated with freezing of gait (FOG). Temporal locomotor integration may be modulated differentially at distinct levels of the basal ganglia. Owing to its specific descending brainstem pro...

[Purpose] Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) using Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL, CYBERDYNE) was previously reported beneficial for stroke and spinal cord injury patients. Here, we investigate the immediate effect of a single session of RAGT using HAL on gait function for cerebral palsy (CP) patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve patients (average age: 16.2 ± 7.3 years) with CP received a single...

PURPOSE To study immediate gait changes in persons with PD when walking with different assistive walking devices. METHODS Ten individuals with idiopathic PD participated in the study. Gait parameters were recorded while walking with a cane and a wheeled walker, and were compared to a free walk without a walking device. RESULTS Persons with PD walked with slower gait speed when using a cane ...

This case report describes the immediate effects of a new rehabilitation tool on gait in a chronic stroke patient. Specifically, we measured step length symmetry and gait velocity in a 47 year-old male stroke patient who was currently receiving outpatient physical therapy. Objective gait measurements were taken using the GAITRite before, during, and after a 5 minute training session. Step lengt...

Walking is a complex motor task generally performed automatically by healthy adults. Yet, by the elderly, walking is often no longer performed automatically. Older adults require more attention for motor control while walking than younger adults. Falls, often with serious consequences, can be the result. Gait impairments are one of the biggest risk factors for falls. Several studies have identi...

This study examines the range of gait patterns that are perceived as healthy and human-like with the goal of understanding how much asymmetry is allowable in a gait pattern before other people start to notice a gait impairment. Specifically, this study explores if certain abnormal walking patterns can be dismissed as unimpaired or not uncanny. Altering gait biomechanics is generally done in the...