Reduced Range of Gait Speed: A Parkinson's Disease-Specific Symptom?

Felix von der Recke; Elke Warmerdam; Clint Hansen; Robbin Romijnders; Walter Maetzler

doi:10.3233/JPD-223535

Reduced Range of Gait Speed: A Parkinson's Disease-Specific Symptom?

J Parkinsons Dis. 2023;13(2):197-202. doi: 10.3233/JPD-223535.

Authors

Felix von der Recke¹, Elke Warmerdam², Clint Hansen¹, Robbin Romijnders^{1

3}, Walter Maetzler¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
² Division of Surgery, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.
³ Digital Signal Processing and System Theory, Institute of Electrical and Information Engineering, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.

Abstract

Reduced range of gait speed (RGS) may lead to decreased environmental adaptability in persons with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). Therefore, lab-measured gait speed, step time, and step length during slow, preferred, and fast walking were assessed in 24 PwPD, 19 stroke patients, and 19 older adults and compared with 31 young adults. Only PwPD, but not the other groups, showed significantly reduced RGS compared to young adults, driven by step time in the low and step length in the high gait speed range. These results suggest that reduced RGS may occur as a PD-specific symptom, and different gait components seem to contribute.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; adaptability; disease-specific; older adults; range of gait speed.

Publication types

Letter

MeSH terms

Aged
Gait
Gait Disorders, Neurologic* / diagnosis
Gait Disorders, Neurologic* / etiology
Humans
Parkinson Disease* / complications
Parkinson Disease* / diagnosis
Walking
Walking Speed