Comparison between the Effects of Dual Task Performance (Motor and Cognitive) and Visual Cueing on Gait Parameters in Parkinson s Disease Patients

The aims of this study were to investigate the effects ofdual task performance on gait parameters in parkinson sdisease. To find if the type of secondary task either motor orcognitive affects gait parameters more than the other. Furthermore,the effect of visual cues on the gait parameters wasstudied. Fifteen patients with idiopathic parkinson s diseaseparticipated in this study. Qualisys motion capture systemwas used to measure stride length (meter), walking speed(meter/second) and cadence (steps/minute) for each patient.Gait parameters were measured under the following conditions:1) baseline, 2) with motor task, 3) with cognitive task and 4)with the use of visual cues. The results of this study showeda significant decrease in speed, cadence and stride length withmotor and cognitive tasks. A non-significant difference wasfound between motor and cognitive tasks on the gait parametersstudied. The use of visual cues resulted in a significantimprovement in speed, cadence and stride length. These resultsimply that dual task performance compromises gait andtherefore should be avoided for better gait functions. On theother hand the use of visual cuing should take part in therehabilitation program to improve the gait pattern.