Gait and posture are correlated domains in Parkinson’s disease

Establishing a relationship between gait and posture in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is essential for PD treatment and rehabilitation. While previous studies have indicated that gait and posture are independent domains in PD, shared neuromechanisms related to gait and posture control and previous studies investigating the relationship between gait and posture parameters in stroke survivors and neurologically healthy older adults have shown a correlated domain. Thus, this study analyzed the relationship of gait and posture domains, primarily through gait temporal sub-phases (i.e., double support and stance phases) and step width. We analyzed the spatial-temporal gait parameters at the self-selected velocity and center of pressure (CoP) during quiet standing of 22 idiopathic PD participants under and without dopaminergic medication conditions. The association between quiet standing and gait variables was assessed through the Spearman test, controlled by age, disease duration, NFoG-Q, and levodopa dosage. In ON medication, CoP area showed a significant correlation with stance phase and total double support; and RMS ML CoP showed a significant correlation with stance phase, total double support, and step width. In OFF medication, CoP area, RMS AP CoP, RMS ML CoP, and ML CoP velocity significantly correlated with stance phase and total double support. By showing the relationship between gait and posture domains in PD, our study adds novel knowledge about the shared gait-posture control, which could collaborate with new approaches during mobility treatment and assessment.