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Metabolic and kinematic parameters during walking with poles in Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract

In healthy people, energy expenditure is generally higher during walking with poles (WP) than during conventional walking (W). In persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD), walking is slower and may be associated with greater energy consumption, stride-to-stride variability, and difficulty in regulating stride length. The aim of this study was to determine whether treadmill WP at three different speeds could induce changes in gait kinematics and oxygen consumption in PD patients. The study sample was 20 patients with mild-to-moderate PD and 20 age-matched healthy controls. Subjects underwent 5-min W and WP treadmill tests at three different speeds (2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 km/h). Metabolic and gait parameters (ventilation, gas exchange, stride count and length) were recorded. As compared with the healthy controls, higher energy consumption (P < 0.05) (and other metabolic parameters), shorter stride, and reduced cadence (P < 0.05) were observed for the PD patients, independent of the walking technique. All subjects were noted to take longer strides during WP (P < 0.001), especially at the lowest treadmill speed. However, significantly higher energy consumption was observed only for the healthy controls (P < 0.05). No changes in metabolic parameters during WP were recorded; however, a substantial improvement in gait cycle length was noted for the PD patients.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Elisa Casagrande and Elisa Grottolo for their help in data collection, and the subjects for participating in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Via Felice Casorati, 43, 37131, Verona, Italy

    Francesca Nardello, F. Bombieri, M. Tinazzi, F. Schena & B. Pellegrini

  2. CERISM (Research Centre of Mountain Sport and Health), University of Verona, Rovereto, Italy

    F. Schena & B. Pellegrini

Authors
  1. Francesca Nardello
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  2. F. Bombieri
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  3. M. Tinazzi
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  4. F. Schena
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  5. B. Pellegrini
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Correspondence to Francesca Nardello.

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No funding was received for this work.

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The authors report no conflict of interest.

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Nardello, F., Bombieri, F., Tinazzi, M. et al. Metabolic and kinematic parameters during walking with poles in Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol 264, 1785–1790 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-017-8568-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-017-8568-y

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