1. EFFECT OF THE USAGE OF HANDRAILS ON GAIT DYNAMICS
IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Daniel Jaravata1, Danish Bhatti1 and Vivien Marmelat1
1University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
2University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
INTRODUCTION
EXPECTED RESULTS
Human locomotion presents stride-to-stride variability.
Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) examines trends within the variability of movement.
DFA provides a scaling exponent, α.
α-DFA values can provide significant insight on function and dysfunction of the locomotor system.
In healthy individuals, this α-DFA value represents an optimal state of gait
In people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the gait complexity represented by the α-DFA deviates towards randomness.
A possible explanation is that the deviation from complex variability results from increased control mechanisms to avoid excessive postural instability.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of handrail-use while walking on a treadmill on gait variability in patients with PD.
METHODS
Figure 2. α-DFA values across the HY and HE groups from a preliminary study involving 15 minutes of over-ground walking around a 200m track.
Fifteen healthy young adults (HY), fifteen healthy elderly adults (HE), and fifteen patients with PD will be recruited
Subjects will complete one data collection consisting of two fifteen-minute walking trials in a randomized order at a preferred walking speed on a treadmill.
Kinematics data will be collected through the use of motion-capture cameras (at 120 Hz) recording reflective markers on a subjects anatomical landmarks.
Main outcomes will be center of mass (COM) deviations in the medial-lateral direction (reflecting overall body stability) and the complexity of stride-to-stride fluctuations (stride time and stride length).
Analysis of the stride-to-stride fluctuations will be conducted using DFA.
A two-way ANOVA (3 groups x 2 conditions) will be used for comparisons
Pearson’s coefficients of correlation will be used to determine the relationship between global body stability and stride-to-stride fluctuations.
Condition 1 entails walking on the treadmill without any external assistance.
Condition 2 entails walking on the treadmill while stabilizing themselves by holding the handrails of the treadmill.
DISCUSSION
We expect that walking on a treadmill while grasping handrails will increase the complexity of gait variability in patients with PD and be associated with reduced postural instability, reflecting the tight relationship between gait complexity and motor stability.
Figure 1. Subject wearing safety harness during Condition 2.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work is supported by the University Committee on Research and Creative Activity of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and by the Center for Research in Human Movement Variability of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, NIH (P20GM109090) and the NASA Nebraska Space Grant Fellowship.