Objective: To assess the relationship between head and trunk accelerations and the preferred walking speed (PWS) in individuals with and without PD

Background: Bradykinesia and rigidity, common motor-symptoms in PD, can lead to reduced head-trunk control and impaired gait performance. Control of the head and trunk motion is critical for maintaining dynamic stability by integrating visual, vestibular, and somatosensory inputs to generate an effective walking pattern. Increased bradykinesia and axial rigidity in PD individuals likely contribute to declines in damping accelerations from ground impacts. Reducing walking speed decreases accelerations at the trunk and head and could be used as a strategy to mitigate deficits in head and trunk control [1-3]

Method: Twenty-five older adults with PD and 25 healthy controls walked at their PWS. A 20 ft protokinetics mat was used to measure spatio-temporal gait parameters, and 3-D accelerometers were placed on lower trunk and head segments to assess acceleration. Root mean square (RMS) acceleration amplitudes were calculated in three dimensions (anterior-posterior: AP, mediolateral: ML, and vertical: VT). The relationship between RMS acceleration and PWS was assessed using simple linear regression for each group. Differences in PWS and acceleration magnitude between groups were assessed using independent t-tests

Results: Individuals with PD preferred to walk slower than healthy controls, but there were no significant group differences in trunk or head accelerations. The magnitude of accelerations for all three dimensions at the trunk and the VT dimension at the head were strongly related to the PWS for both groups, with accelerations increasing with speed [table 1]. The slope of the relationship between VT accelerations at the trunk and head with PWS was smaller for the individuals with PD. In contrast, the slope of the relationship between ML acceleration and PWS was smaller at the trunk and more negative at the head for healthy elderly controls

Conclusion: Individuals with PD demonstrate altered trunk and head control compared with healthy controls. The larger increase in ML accelerations of the trunk and head with speed may be associated with reduced gait stability. Individuals with PD may prefer to walk slower as a strategy to mitigate large trunk and head accelerations and a less stable gait [4]

Regression analyses for acceleration

References: [1] Cole MH, Silburn PA, Wood JM, Worringham CJ, Kerr GK. Falls in Parkinson’s disease: kinematic evidence for impaired head and trunk control. Mov Disord. 2010;25(14):2369-2378. doi:10.1002/mds.23292
[2] Morrison S, Moxey J, Reilly N, Russell DM, Thomas KM, Grunsfeld AA. The relation between falls risk and movement variability in Parkinson’s disease. Exp Brain Res. 2021;239(7):2077-2087. doi:10.1007/s00221-021-06113-9
[3] Latt MD, Menz HB, Fung VS, Lord SR. Acceleration patterns of the head and pelvis during gait in older people with Parkinson’s disease: a comparison of fallers and nonfallers. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009;64(6):700-706. doi:10.1093/gerona/glp009
[4] Latt MD, Menz HB, Fung VS, Lord SR. Walking speed, cadence and step length are selected to optimize the stability of head and pelvis accelerations. Exp Brain Res. 2008;184(2):201-209. doi:10.1007/s00221-007-1094-x

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/relationships-between-preferred-walking-speed-and-accelerations-at-the-head-and-trunk-in-individuals-with-parkinsons-disease-pd-and-healthy-elderly/