Should We Employ Compensation Strategies for Parkinson Disease Gait Issues?

A survey of patients shows that many use these strategies and that effectiveness is high overall but also highly variable among the patients.

Patients with gait impairment caused by Parkinson disease (PD) often use compensation strategies that they have either learned about or devise themselves, such as external cueing (e.g., with a metronome) or changing their walking pattern. These investigators used a survey to evaluate patients' awareness and actual use of these compensation strategies. The survey listed seven categories of strategies and gave examples. The investigators also measured patient-rated efficacy and evaluated the contexts in which the compensation strategies were applied.

Among 4324 adult patients with a self-reported diagnosis of PD surveyed using a self-reported disabling gait impairment instrument, most patients (77%) used compensation strategies. However, aware…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)