Isolating the speed factor is crucial in gait analysis for Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by an alteration of the walking gait, frequently including a slower self-selected walking speed (SSWS). Although the reduction of walking speed is inherent to people with PD, such speed reduction also represents a potential confounding factor that might partly explain the observed gait differences between PD and control participants. Methods: In this study, each participant walked along a 25 m level corridor during which vertical ground reaction force signals were recorded using shoes equipped with eight pressure sensors. Vertical ground reaction force signals (using statistical parametric mapping) and temporal and kinetic variables as well as their related variability and asymmetry (using Student's Results: Statistical parametric mapping did not yield significant differences between PD and control groups for the vertical ground reaction force signal along the walking stance phase. Stride time and single support time (equivalent to swing time) were shorter and peak vertical ground reaction force was larger in PD patients compared to controls ( Discussion: These results indicate that at matched SSWS, PD patients adopt a higher cadence than control participants. Moreover, the temporal subdivision of the walking gait of people with PD is similar to healthy individuals but the coordination during the double support phase is different. Hence, this study indicates that isolating the speed factor is crucial in gait analysis for PD.