Gait Disorders in Parkinson's Disease: Assessment and Management

SummaryGait disorder, a major cause of morbidity in the elderly population, is one of the cardinal features of Parkinson's disease. Owing to the characteristics of these gaits varying widely from festination to freezing of gait, analysis can be hardly identified in the clinical setting. Instrumented gait analysis has been widely used in a traditional gait laboratory. Recently, wireless monitoring systems have become highly informative by allowing long-term data collection in a variety of environments outside the labs. The quantitative analysis of gait patterns is probably the first step to a successful management of an individual patient. The presence of abnormal gait usually indicates advanced stages of disease and is often associated with cognitive impairment, falls, and injuries. Besides pharmacological and surgical treatments, parkinsonian gait can benefit from a variety of interventions. Assistive devices prevent patients from falls, and cueing strategies help them decrease episodes of freezing. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team approach to the optimal management is essential for an elderly patient with Parkinson's disease.