Dual-Tasking Effects on Gait and Turning Performance of Stroke Survivors with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Stroke survivors depend on the unaffected leg during walking and standing. The presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) affecting both legs may further affect the postural balance and gait instability and increase the risk for falls in such patients. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of dual taskings on the gait and turning performance of stroke survivors with DPN.

Forty stroke survivors were recruited (20 with DPN and 20 without DPN) in this cross-sectional study design. Instrumented timed up and go (iTUG) tests were conducted in three different tasking conditions (single task, dual motor and dual cognitive). APDM^® Mobility Lab system was used to capture the gait parameters during the iTUG tests. A two-way mixed analysis of variance was used to determine the main effects of gait performance on three taskings during the iTUG test.

Spatiotemporal gait parameters and turning performance (turning time and turning step times) were more affected by the tasking conditions in stroke survivors with DPN compared to those without DPN (P < 0.05).

Stroke survivors with DPN had difficulty walking while turning and performing a secondary task simultaneously.