Treadmill in the Rehabilitation of Parkinsonian Gait

Gait disorders represent disabling symptoms in Parkinson's Disease (PD). The effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment with Body Weight Support Treadmill Training (BWSTT) has been demonstrated in patients with stroke and spinal cord injuries, but limited data is available in PD. The aim of the study is to investigate the efficacy of BWSTT in the rehabilitation of gait in PD patients. Thirty-six PD inpatients were enrolled and performed rehabilitation treatment for 4 weeks, with daily sessions. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups: both groups underwent daily 40-minute sessions of traditional physiokinesitherapy followed by 20-minute sessions of overground gait training (Control group) or BWSTT (BWSTT group). The efficacy of BWSTT was evaluated with clinical scales and Computerized Gait Analysis (CGA). Patients were tested at baseline (T0) and at the end of the 4-week rehabilitation period (T1).