Independent regulation of the cycle and acceleration in parkinsonian gait analyzed by a long-term daily monitoring system

Background: Few reports have objectively assessed gait patterns of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients in their daily lives. We investigated the mean gait cycle and mean gait acceleration using a portable gait rhythmogram (PGR).

Method: We continuously recorded PGR measurements for 24 h in 64 PD patients with the ability to independently engage in activities of daily living.

Results: There was no significant difference in the mean gait cycle between PD patients and normal controls. However, the mean gait cycle was significantly faster in PD patients in the modified Hoehn and Yahr stage 1.5 than those in stages 2.5-3.0. The mean gait acceleration in PD patients was significantly less than in normal controls, but there were no significant differences among the stage groups.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the cycle and acceleration of gait movements are controlled independently and that disturbances in these movements have different clinical courses in PD.