Reliability and validity of the assessment of Parkinson gait using the U-shape electronic walkway

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the U-shape electronic walkway (USEW) in assessing gait variation in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD). Gait parameters from the straight part and corner part of the USEW were calculated and compared. Most of the gait parameters in PD group were significantly different as compared with that in the healthy elderly (HE) group and healthy young (HY) group. Importantly, the time of double support phase (TDSP) was significantly lower than the time of swing phase (TSWP) among the HE and HY group, but they were very similar in PD group. Further, measures of gait disorder severity for PD (UPDRS-III and H&Y) were all statistically significant but moderately correlated with most of the gait parameters. Therefore, the USEW can be effectively and reliably applied to evaluate the gait variation in patients with PD and can also contributes to find a new index for quantifying and assessing the overall severity of gait disorder in PD patients.