A public data set of walking full-body kinematics and kinetics in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Background: To our knowledge, there is no Parkinson's disease (PD) gait biomechanics data sets available to the public. Objective: This study aimed to create a public data set of 26 idiopathic individuals with PD who walked overground on ON and OFF medication. Materials and methods: Their upper extremity, trunk, lower extremity, and pelvis kinematics were measured using a three-dimensional motion-capture system (Raptor-4; Motion Analysis). The external forces were collected using force plates. The results include raw and processed kinematic and kinetic data in c3d and ASCII files in different file formats. In addition, a metadata file containing demographic, anthropometric, and clinical data is provided. The following clinical scales were employed: Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale motor aspects of experiences of daily living and motor score, Hoehn & Yahr, New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Tests, Fall Efficacy Scale-International-FES-I, Stroop test, and Trail Making Test A and B. Results: All data are available at Figshare (https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/A_dataset_of_overground_walking_full-body_kinematics_and_kinetics_in_individuals_with_Parkinson_s_disease/14896881). Conclusion: This is the first public data set containing a three-dimensional full-body gait analysis of individuals with PD under the ON and OFF medication. It is expected to contribute so that different research groups worldwide have access to reference data and a better understanding of the effects of medication on gait.

Gait and posture are correlated domains in Parkinson's disease.

Establishing a relationship between gait and posture in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is essential for PD treatment and rehabilitation. While previous studies have indicated that gait and posture are independent domains in PD, shared neuromechanisms related to gait and posture control and previous studies investigating the relationship between gait and posture parameters in stroke survivors and neurologically healthy older adults have shown a correlated domain. Thus, this study analyzed the relationship of gait and posture domains, primarily through gait temporal sub-phases (i.e., double support and stance phases) and step width. We analyzed the spatial-temporal gait parameters at the self-selected velocity and center of pressure (CoP) during quiet standing of 22 idiopathic PD participants under and without dopaminergic medication conditions. The association between quiet standing and gait variables was assessed through the Spearman test, controlled by age, disease duration, NFoG-Q, and levodopa dosage. In ON medication, CoP area showed a significant correlation with stance phase and total double support; and RMS ML CoP showed a significant correlation with stance phase, total double support, and step width. In OFF medication, CoP area, RMS AP CoP, RMS ML CoP, and ML CoP velocity significantly correlated with stance phase and total double support. By showing the relationship between gait and posture domains in PD, our study adds novel knowledge about the shared gait-posture control, which could collaborate with new approaches during mobility treatment and assessment.

Biomechanical aspects that precede freezing episode during gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The freezing episode (FE) management during gait in Parkinson's disease is inefficient with current medications, neurosurgery, and physical interventions. Knowing the biomechanical change patients suffer preceding FE would be the ultimate goal to measure, predict, and prevent these events. OBJECTIVE: We performed a systematic review to summarize the kinematic, kinetic, electromyographic, and spatio-temporal characteristics of the events that precede the FE during gait in Parkinson's disease. LITERATURE SURVEY: Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane and between 2001 to August 2021. METHODOLOGY: The present study was a systematic review registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021255082). Three reviewers searched and selected studies with methodologies involving biomechanical changes and kinetic, kinematic, electromyography, and spatiotemporal changes before FE in a patient with Parkinson's disease. The relevant articles that show the events preceding FE in patients with PD were identified. We excluded studies that describe or compare methods or algorithms to detect FE. Studies may include participants with all PD severity, time of disease, and age. SYNTHESIS: We selected ten articles for final evaluation. The most consistent results indicate a dramatic reduction of movement excursions with (1) decrease in stride length; (2) decreased gait speed; (3) postural instability with the increased double support phase; (4) incoordination of anterior tibial and gastrocnemius; (5) larger amplitude in the EMG of biceps femoris; (6) decreased range of motion in the sagittal plane at the ankle and hip joints; and (7) anterior pelvic tilt. CONCLUSION: FE is characterized by complex motor patterns than normal gait and mismatched gains in the perception and execution of the ongoing movement.