Abstract
Purpose: To study the reliability of a Non-Instrumented Walk Test in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Method: Thirty individuals (21 Males) with PD were studied. Their mean age was 68.90 ± 9.28 years. The average time since diagnosis was 8.75 ± 5.68 years. The reliability of the manual Non-Instrumented Walk Test was studied while “OFF” and “ON” dopaminergic medication. Subjects walked at their self-selected, usual speed during a Non-Instrumented Walk Test and while walking on a computerized instrumented walkway. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated and means were compared for three gait parameters as measured by the two methods. Results: During “OFF” medication testing, ICCs between the Non-Instrumented Walk Test and the instrumented measures for gait speed, cadence and stride length were 0.96 (p < 0.0005), 0.72 (p = 0.001) and 0.97 (p < 0.0005), respectively. During “ON” medication testing, the ICCs were 0.96 (p < 0.0005), 0.86 (p < 0.0005) and 0.96 (p < 0.0005), respectively. The means of the non-instrumented measures tended to be lower than those obtained on the instrumented walkway. Conclusions: The Non-Instrumented Walk Test is a quick, simple and inexpensive gait evaluation for individuals with PD. The method is sufficiently reliable to be used clinically in this population during different medication cycles.
The Non-Instrumented Walk Test in individuals with PD is reliable.
Results supported the use of the measure. This simple walk test is quick and easy to administer in both clinical and community settings.
Acknowledgements
We thank Mr. Angel Fernandez and Steven P. Rivas for their assistance with data collection and the subjects for their time and effort.
Declaration of Interest: This work was supported by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, K12 HD055929 and the National Institute of Health, R01 HD051844.