Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2026
14:52
Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication
Published on: December 11, 2013
11.9K
Gait characterization for patients with orthostatic tremor
Enrico Opri1, Wei Hu2, Zakia Jabarkheel2
1Department of Biomedical engineering, University of Florida, College of Engineering, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders
|January 26, 2020
Summary
Orthostatic tremor (OT) causes gait abnormalities like reduced step length and increased variability. Tremor persists even during the swing phase of walking, indicating muscle contractions contribute to its generation.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Movement Disorders
- Gait Analysis
Background:
- Orthostatic tremor (OT) is characterized by gait unsteadiness, but its underlying physiology remains poorly understood.
- Patients with OT frequently experience worsening gait instability as the disease progresses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial and temporal gait characteristics in patients with orthostatic tremor.
- To explore the relationship between gait parameters and tremor physiology in OT.
Main Methods:
- Gait parameters were measured using an instrumented Zeno walkway system in 16 OT patients.
- Electromyography (EMG) and foot pressure recordings were synchronized with gait analysis.
- Gait assessments were conducted at habitual, fast, and slow walking speeds.
Main Results:
- OT patients exhibited significantly reduced step length, increased step width, and heightened gait variability compared to controls.
- Tremor discharges were consistently observed across all walking speeds and persisted throughout the gait cycle, including the non-weight-bearing swing phase.
- Peak tremor amplitude varied across gait phases, being highest during single support, followed by double support, and lowest during swing phase.
Conclusions:
- Orthostatic tremor is associated with distinct gait abnormalities, resembling those seen in cerebellar disorders.
- The presence of tremor discharges during the swing phase suggests that muscle contractions, even without external resistance, contribute to OT generation.
