Exploring spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters in individuals with Parkinson's disease across different motor...

Distinct motor phenotypes in Parkinson's disease (PD) are well-documented, but their spatiotemporal and joint kinematic parameters remain underexplored. This study investigates these parameters and assesses fall risk across motor phenotypes using Three-Dimensional Kinect V2 detectors.

How are spatiotemporal and joint kinematic parameters influenced by dopaminergic therapy in individuals with PD across different motor phenotypes?

A total of 125 PD patients underwent clinical and biomechanical assessments before and after dopaminergic therapy, alongside 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls for comparison. Patients were classified into three motor phenotypes: tremor dominant (TD), akinetic-rigid (AR), and postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD).

In the off-medication state, the PIGD phenotype exhibits the most impaired spatiotemporal parameters, including straight walking (speed, stride length, and step length and time variability), turning (time, speed and length), and reduced hip range of motion (ROM) at baseline. Significant differences in straight waking (speed, stride length, step time variability), and turning (time and speed), and hip ROM were observed among the groups before and after dopaminergic therapy, adjusting for age, height, disease duration, and UPDRS scores. Over a mean follow-up period of 13.3 ± 3.4 months, 30 patients experienced falls. Among these, 5 were classified with the AR motor phenotype and 25 with the PIGD subtype. Despite the improvement of gait performance with dopaminergic therapy in the PIGD phenotype, significant differences in spatiotemporal and joint kinematic parameters remain before and after therapy across the three phenotypes. Recognizing these distinctions among motor phenotypes can inform physiotherapy approaches to customize fall prevention strategies for PD.