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Motor Dual-Tasks for Gait Analysis and Evaluation in Post-Stroke Patients
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Single- and Dual-Task Gait Performance in Patients With Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Cross-sectional Study
Constantin W Freitag1, Martin Behrens2, Thorben Menrad1
1Department of Health and Physical Activity, Institute III, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
Translational Vision Science & Technology
|November 28, 2023
Summary
Glaucoma patients exhibit greater variability in minimum toe clearance during walking, indicating a potential increase in fall risk. This gait alteration may serve as an indicator of disease progression and fall risk in glaucoma.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biomechanics
- Gerontology
Background:
- Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy often associated with impaired vision.
- Gait disturbances and increased fall risk are common in individuals with glaucoma.
- Understanding gait kinematics under different cognitive loads is crucial for fall prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare gait kinematics, specifically minimum toe clearance (MTC), between glaucoma patients and healthy controls during single- and dual-task walking.
- To assess the impact of cognitive tasks on gait parameters in glaucoma patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 19 glaucoma patients and 30 healthy controls.
- Spatiotemporal gait parameters, including MTC, were measured using inertial measurement units.
- Participants performed single-task walking and dual-task walking involving cognitive tasks (reaction time, N-Back, letter fluency).
Main Results:
- Glaucoma patients showed significantly higher coefficient of variation for MTC compared to controls.
- Medium effect sizes indicated lower MTC and higher MTC dual-task costs in glaucoma patients.
- These findings suggest altered gait control and increased susceptibility to tripping in glaucoma.
Conclusions:
- Glaucoma patients exhibit increased MTC variability and altered dual-task costs, suggesting a higher risk of falls due to tripping.
- MTC variability may reflect disease-related changes in walking performance and serve as a prognostic marker for fall risk in glaucoma.
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