Effects of dance on gait and dual-task gait in Parkinson's disease assessed using Vicon 3D-motion capture

Abstract

Introduction: Gait impairments are well-known in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). While dance-based interventions could improve gait, further studies are needed to determine if the benefits generalise to different terrains and when dual-tasking. A feasibility study was performed to assess the effects of Dance for PD® (DfPD®)-program on gait under different dual-tasks (verbal fluency, serial subtraction) and surfaces (even, uneven), and to determine if a larger-scale randomised clinical trial (RCT) is warranted. Methods: A dance group (DG; n=17; age=65.8 ± 11.7 years) and a control group (CG: n=16; age=67.0 ± 7.7 years) comprising non-cognitively impaired (Addenbrooke’s score: DG=93.2 ± 3.6, CG=92.6 ± 4.3) independently locomoting people with PD (Hoehn & Yahr I-III) participated in the study. The DG undertook a one-hour DfPD®-based class, twice weekly for 12 weeks. The CG had treatment as usual. Gait analysis was performed at baseline and post intervention while walking on two surfaces (even, uneven) under three conditions (regular walking; dual-task: verbal-fluency- DTVERB, serial-subtraction- DTSUBT).