Objective: To examine the discrepancy between perceived and actual arm swing amplitude during gait in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to explore the potential role of sensory impairment in producing this perceptual–motor mismatch.

Background: Reduced arm swing is a characteristic gait feature in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. In addition to motor impairments, PD is associated with sensory dysfunction, including deficits in proprioception and body awareness. Such sensory impairments may lead to discrepancies between perceived and actual movements. However, the relationship between sensory-related perceptual mismatch and arm swing amplitude during gait has not been sufficiently investigated.

Method: Four individuals with Parkinson’s disease(HY 1-2) participated in this study. Gait was recorded using a markerless motion capture system. 3D kinematic data were processed using Visual3D to calculate shoulder flexion–extension angles representing arm swing amplitude during walking. The kinematic data were time-normalized to one gait cycle. To assess perceived arm swing amplitude, photographs of each participant in a standing posture were presented, and participants were asked to draw lines indicating how far they believed they swung their arms during walking. The discrepancy between perceived and actual arm swing amplitude was calculated.

Results: Discrepancies were observed between perceived and actual arm swing amplitude during gait. The mean discrepancy (perceived − actual) in shoulder flexion was 4.3 ± 11.3° on the left and −6.4 ± 26.7° on the right. In shoulder extension, the discrepancy was larger, with 20.0 ± 8.1° on the left and 14.0 ± 19.7° on the right. The discrepancy tended to be larger in shoulder extension than in flexion. Considerable inter-individual variability was observed among participants.

Conclusion: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease demonstrated mismatches between perceived and actual arm swing during gait. These discrepancies may reflect sensory impairments affecting body awareness and proprioceptive processing. As movement amplitude gradually decreases in Parkinson’s disease, reduced sensory accuracy may lead to an increasing mismatch between perceived and actual movement, which may further influence motor performance. Understanding this sensory–motor discrepancy may provide new insights for rehabilitation strategies targeting sensory feedback and motor awareness in individuals with PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/sensory-motor-discrepancy-of-arm-swing-during-gait-in-parkinsons-disease/