Posters
Academic Level (Author 1)
Medical Student
Discipline Track
Clinical Science
Abstract
Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders. Decreased stability may result from stooped posture in patients with Parkinson’s disease. As PD progresses, stooped posture becomes more severe.
Methods To determine how patients with PD counteract the increased instability of stooped posture, participants recreated three conditions of stoop: natural, slight, and acute. Participants walked at a comfortable speed on a motorized treadmill. The positional data of anatomical markers were measured using a 3D motion capture system. Data were filtered using a 4th order low pass Butterworth filter and statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA.
Results The results show that stride length significantly decreased in the acute stoop condition, suggesting that progressive PD stooping leads to shorter strides.
Conclusions From these results, it can be concluded that to counteract the instability brought upon by acute stoop, stride length decreases. However, stride length is not significantly affected for cases of slight stoop, which is most likely due to the presence of greater stability compared to that of acute stoop. The association between severe stooped posture and decreased stride length has possible applications to modifications of current and future physical therapy methods for patients in the later stages of PD.
Presentation Type
Poster
Recommended Citation
Pham, Michelle M. and Whitcome, Katherine, "“Gait”-ing the Effects of Stooped Posture on Stride Length" (2024). Research Colloquium. 17.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/colloquium/2023/posters/17
Included in
“Gait”-ing the Effects of Stooped Posture on Stride Length
Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders. Decreased stability may result from stooped posture in patients with Parkinson’s disease. As PD progresses, stooped posture becomes more severe.
Methods To determine how patients with PD counteract the increased instability of stooped posture, participants recreated three conditions of stoop: natural, slight, and acute. Participants walked at a comfortable speed on a motorized treadmill. The positional data of anatomical markers were measured using a 3D motion capture system. Data were filtered using a 4th order low pass Butterworth filter and statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA.
Results The results show that stride length significantly decreased in the acute stoop condition, suggesting that progressive PD stooping leads to shorter strides.
Conclusions From these results, it can be concluded that to counteract the instability brought upon by acute stoop, stride length decreases. However, stride length is not significantly affected for cases of slight stoop, which is most likely due to the presence of greater stability compared to that of acute stoop. The association between severe stooped posture and decreased stride length has possible applications to modifications of current and future physical therapy methods for patients in the later stages of PD.