Case study evaluation of body weight-supported treadmill training for parkinsonian gait

Abstract

Parkinsonian gait is characterized by kinetic and kinematic anomalies such as reduced push-off and reduced walking velocity. It is evident that any improvement to gait is likely to result in concomitant improvement in aspects of everyday life that require whole body ambulation. Consequently, the aim of this study was to quantify, biomechanically, the potential of body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) in eliciting a shift toward a more normal pattern of gait for individuals with Parkinson's disease. A single-subject intervention-based research design was adopted. Kinetic, kinematic and spatiotemporal data were captured via the simultaneous use of a Kistler force platform and an automated video-based motion analysis system. The emphasis of the BWSTT intervention was to provide stimulus to the extensor load receptors of the lower extremities through the unloading and reloading of body weight, characterized through kinetic and kinematic profiles (Dietz, 1997). The findings of the study revealed significant enhancement—relative to ‘normal’ gait—of parkinsonian gait following BWSTT, which was reflected in observed normalization across measured spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic parameters. As such, BWSTT may be a viable method of implementing sustained improvement to parkinsonian gait, although further large-scale research is needed.