What are the techniques to reduce gait disturbances?

Parkinson’s disease is often known for the shivers it generates, but this… Neuropathology It can cause various disorders, including those related to walking. There are ways to reduce the effect of this Problems on the movements of infected persons. Dutch researchers conducted research on this topic that was published in the journal NeurologyAnd From the American Neurological Association.

Disability disorders on a daily basis

More than 4,000 people with Parkinson’s disease were interviewed as part of this research. They all suffer from related disorders He walks Such as misalignments, falls or blockages. Of these, 35% said that difficulty walking was a hindrance in their daily activities. More than half of them did one or more the fall in the year prior to the study.

What are the possible strategies to avoid it?

“We know that people with Parkinson’s disease often invent spontaneous “wraps” to overcome difficulty walking, in order to remain mobile and independent.But there are seven well-known strategies to make life easier for patients. One of them is to create internal parameters, such as a countdown in his head, and it is also possible to establish external parameters such as an accelerator. The third is to modify the requirements associated with balance, by making Wider turns for example.This can also include working on the mind, with techniques relaxation. Finally, it is also possible to focus on observation, by watching someone walk, to adapt the way they walk, by walking backwards, or to change the use of the legs, by doing bicycle.

Strategies insufficiently known to patients

As part of the study, the scientists asked participants if they had heard of these seven strategies, and if they had used them. They found that people with Parkinson’s disease Walk compensation techniques are commonly used, but they are not familiar with these seven specific strategies. 17% of people have never heard of any of these strategies and only 4% know the seven, on average, each person knows three. However, when they tried one of them, participants generally confirmed that it had a positive effect in reducing Problems.

Context-dependent effectiveness

The researchers found that the strategies worked differently depending on the context in which the person was using them. For example, motion visualization had an 83% success rate when people used it He walks outdoors, compared to 55% when they used it to circulate in a confined space. “Our results suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” approach does not work, because different contexts may require different strategies, or because individuals simply respond better to one strategy over another.’ concludes Anouk Tucerams.