Gait Difficulty, Postural Instability, and Muscle Weakness Are Associated with Fear of Falling in People with Parkinson's Disease
Joint Authors
Pang, Marco Y. C.
Mak, Margaret K. Y.
Mok, V. C. T.
Source
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-5, 5 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2011-10-05
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
5
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
The present study aimed to examine the contribution of gait impairment, postural stability and muscle weakness to the level of fear of falling in people with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Fifty-seven community-dwelling individuals with PD completed the study.
Fear of falling was assessed by the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale.
Postural stability and gait difficulty were determined by the posture and gait subscores of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-PG).
A Cybex dynamometer was used to measure isokinetic knee muscle strength.
Individuals with PD achieved a mean ABC score of 73.6±19.3.
In the multiple regression analysis, after accounting for basic demographics, fall history and disease severity, the UPDRS-PG score remained independently associated with the ABC score, accounting for 13.4% of the variance (P<0.001).
The addition of knee muscle strength significantly improved the prediction model and accounted for an additional 7.3% of the variance in the ABC score (P<0.05).
This is the first study to demonstrate that the UPDRS-PG score and knee muscle strength are important and independent determinants of the level of fear of falling in individuals with PD.
Improving balance, gait stability and knee muscle strength could be crucial in promoting balance confidence in the appropriately targeted PD population.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Mak, Margaret K. Y.& Pang, Marco Y. C.& Mok, V. C. T.. 2011. Gait Difficulty, Postural Instability, and Muscle Weakness Are Associated with Fear of Falling in People with Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson’s Disease،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1002834
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Mak, Margaret K. Y.…[et al.]. Gait Difficulty, Postural Instability, and Muscle Weakness Are Associated with Fear of Falling in People with Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson’s Disease No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1002834
American Medical Association (AMA)
Mak, Margaret K. Y.& Pang, Marco Y. C.& Mok, V. C. T.. Gait Difficulty, Postural Instability, and Muscle Weakness Are Associated with Fear of Falling in People with Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson’s Disease. 2011. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1002834
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1002834