Abstract:Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor symptoms and gait impairments. Among them, freezing of gait (FOG) is one of the most disabling manifestations. Backward walking (BW) is an activity of daily life that individuals with PD might find difficult and could cause falls. Recent studies have reported that gait impairments in PD were more pronounced in BW, particularly in people presenting FOG. However, to the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has syn… Show more
“…Given the fundamental importance of walking in everyday activities and its tight connection with well-being, gait training is frequently part of the rehabilitation protocols. Forward Walking (FW) can easily be performed by individuals of all ages and fitness levels, and it is commonly indicated for patients recovering from injuries and surgeries at the lower limbs, suffering from chronic conditions, disabilities and neurodegenerative disorders [ 13 ]. More specifically, walking helps preserving muscular strength and balance control, coordination and proprioception, which can reduce the risk of falls and injuries.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Zhang et al [ 19 ] dedicated attention to the knee external abduction moment during BW, pointing out that this motor task reduced the joint loading and confirmed its potentiality in the management of knee osteoarthritis. Milane et al [ 13 ] showed that BW challenges the body differently than FW, stimulating balance and coordination in a more demanding way, and improving cognitive function, proprioception and spatial awareness. Dissimilarities between FW and BW kinematics have been also identified in people with intellectual disabilities by Gimunova et al [ 26 ].…”
Although extensive literature exists on forward and backward walking, a comprehensive assessment of gait parameters on a wide and homogenous population is missing. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyse the differences between the two gait typologies on a relatively large sample. Twenty-four healthy young adults participated in this study. By means of a marker-based optoelectronic system and force platforms, differences between forward and backward walking were outlined in terms of kinematics and kinetics. Statistically, significant differences were observed in most of the spatial–temporal parameters, evidencing some adaptation mechanisms in backward walking. Differently from the ankle joint, the hip and knee range of motion was significantly reduced when switching from forward to backward walking. In terms of kinetics, hip and ankle moment patterns for forward and backward walking were approximately mirrored images of each other. Moreover, joint powers appeared drastically reduced during reversed gait. Specifically, valuable differences in terms of produced and absorbed joint powers between forward and backward walking were pointed out. The outcomes of this study could represent a useful reference data for future investigation evaluating the efficacy of backward walking as a rehabilitation tool for pathological subjects.
“…Given the fundamental importance of walking in everyday activities and its tight connection with well-being, gait training is frequently part of the rehabilitation protocols. Forward Walking (FW) can easily be performed by individuals of all ages and fitness levels, and it is commonly indicated for patients recovering from injuries and surgeries at the lower limbs, suffering from chronic conditions, disabilities and neurodegenerative disorders [ 13 ]. More specifically, walking helps preserving muscular strength and balance control, coordination and proprioception, which can reduce the risk of falls and injuries.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Zhang et al [ 19 ] dedicated attention to the knee external abduction moment during BW, pointing out that this motor task reduced the joint loading and confirmed its potentiality in the management of knee osteoarthritis. Milane et al [ 13 ] showed that BW challenges the body differently than FW, stimulating balance and coordination in a more demanding way, and improving cognitive function, proprioception and spatial awareness. Dissimilarities between FW and BW kinematics have been also identified in people with intellectual disabilities by Gimunova et al [ 26 ].…”
Although extensive literature exists on forward and backward walking, a comprehensive assessment of gait parameters on a wide and homogenous population is missing. Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyse the differences between the two gait typologies on a relatively large sample. Twenty-four healthy young adults participated in this study. By means of a marker-based optoelectronic system and force platforms, differences between forward and backward walking were outlined in terms of kinematics and kinetics. Statistically, significant differences were observed in most of the spatial–temporal parameters, evidencing some adaptation mechanisms in backward walking. Differently from the ankle joint, the hip and knee range of motion was significantly reduced when switching from forward to backward walking. In terms of kinetics, hip and ankle moment patterns for forward and backward walking were approximately mirrored images of each other. Moreover, joint powers appeared drastically reduced during reversed gait. Specifically, valuable differences in terms of produced and absorbed joint powers between forward and backward walking were pointed out. The outcomes of this study could represent a useful reference data for future investigation evaluating the efficacy of backward walking as a rehabilitation tool for pathological subjects.
“…Moreover, the occurrence of FOG is highly variable, making it difficult to measure the frequency and duration of FOG attacks. However, FOG patients often exhibit lower gait speed, shorter stride length, worse gait cycle index, and greater gait variability 20‐22 . Therefore, we used objective quantification of gait kinematics in this study to distinguish the gait characteristics of FOG and quantify the treatment efficacy on FOG.…”
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