Evaluation of Gait Assistive Devices in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Objective: There are no guidelines for choosing appropriate gait assistive devices. The aim of this study was to evaluate gait assistive devices in patients with Parkinson's disease. Method: We evaluated 15 individuals with Parkinson's disease who did or did not use one of two different devices including canes and two-wheeled walkers. Data were collected using the GAITRite system. Results: Participants in the group using canes and two-wheeled walkers had significantly increased double support time and decreased gait velocity, normalized gait velocity, and stride length compared with those who did not. Participants who used a two-wheeled walker had significantly decreased gait velocity, normalized gait velocity, and stride length compared with those who used a cane. Furthermore, participants who used a two-wheeled walker had significantly decreased coefficients of variation for step time, stride length, and swing time compared with those who used a cane. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the two-wheeled walker offered the most consistent advantages for decreasing the risk of falling