The effects of stooped posture on gait and postural sway in Korean patients with Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT

@#Stooped posture, a forward trunk flexion, is a common clinical feature in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the exact etiology and effects on gait and balance are not fully understood. In the present study we evaluated the effects of stooping on gait and balance using three-dimensional motion capture and clarified the relationship between the trunk angle and impaired motor function in patients with PD. Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with PD were enrolled in our study. All participants were asked to walk a 6-m tract at their preferred speed, gait parameters and trunk flexion angle were measured using a three-dimensional motion capture system. We analyzed the correlation between trunk angle and gait parameters including gait speed, length, and center of pressure distance for postural sway. Significantly negative correlations were observed between the trunk flexion angle and gait speed (r = -0.407, p = 0.010) and step length (r = -0.561, p < 0.001). Conversely, no correlation was found between trunk flexion angle and postural sway in static standing. We found that stooped posture destabilized gait pattern and did not affect postural sway in PD. Our result showed that stooped posture may not be a compensatory action for stabilizing gait and posture, but rather a symptom of PD.