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Updated September 9th, 2021 at 14:43 IST

Patients with Parkinson's may benefit from novel 'walking strategies', says recent study

A study that was published in Neurology discovered that people with Parkinson's disease who are having trouble walking can be helped with various strategies.

Reported by: Rohit Ranjan
Parkinson's disease
Image: Shutterstock | Image:self
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A study which was published in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology discovered that people with Parkinson's disease who are having trouble walking can be helped with various strategies. It stated that the effectiveness of different compensation tactics varied depending on the context in which they were employed, such as whether they were used indoors or outside, and whether they were used under time constraints or not.

Anouk Tosserams, MD, of the Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, who co-authored the study said, "We know people with Parkinson's often spontaneously invent creative 'detours' to overcome their walking difficulties, in order to remain mobile and independent." 

Researchers polled 4,324 people with Parkinson's disease

Researchers polled 4,324 people with Parkinson's disease and significant gait deficits for the study. Problems including unbalance, stumbling, falling, staggering, and freezing are among them. 35% of the participants said their walking issues made it difficult for them to do their normal daily activities, and 52% said they had fallen in the previous year.

The survey clarified the seven basic compensation strategy groups. Internal cueing, such as walking to a count in your head. External cueing, such as walking in rhythm to a metronome. Changing the balance requirement, such as making wider turns. Altering mental state, such as relaxation techniques. Action observation and motor imagery, such as watching another person walk. Adapting a new walking pattern, such as jumping or walking backwards and other techniques. Each category was described and participants were asked if they were familiar with it, and if so, how it worked for them in various situations.

Researchers discovered that people with Parkinson's disease frequently employ walking compensatory measures, but are unaware of all seven. For instance, 17% of people had never heard of any of these tactics, and 23% had never attempted any of them. Only 4% of respondents were aware of all compensation strategy categories.

The majority believed the method had a favourable impact

The majority of respondents who tried each method believed it had a favourable impact. Changing the balancing criterion, for example, had a favourable influence on 76% of respondents, while changing their emotional state had a positive impact on 74%. Researchers discovered that techniques operated differently depending on the environment in which they were deployed. Internal cueing appeared to be extremely effective during gait beginning, with a success rate of 73%.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: Shutterstock

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Published September 9th, 2021 at 14:43 IST

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