Feasibility and safety of the Mobility Rehab Auditory Feedback system for gait in people with Parkinson's disease: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

The Mobility Rehab Auditory Feedback, a novel physical therapist-assisted system, uses verbal cues and a metronome as feedback during a single treadmill session, which may improve overground walking with and without a cognitive task in people with Parkinson's disease (PD).

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is the Mobility Rehab Auditory Feedback system a safe and feasible intervention to improve gait in people with PD?

METHODS

Twenty people with mild-to-moderate PD (age=69.8 years, disease duration=7.8 years), in the On-medication state, performed a 2-min overground walk before and after a 15-minute single treadmill session with the Mobility Rehab Auditory Feedback system. The system included an electronic tablet and five Opal sensors placed on both wrists and feet, and on the sternum. The system provides real-time verbal feedback on four gait metrics: arm swing range of motion, step duration, stride length, and elevation at mid-swing. Researchers selected one or two gait metrics (from the four) to focus on during the treadmill session.

RESULTS

The upper and lower body gait metrics in both usual and dual-task overground walking showed significant improvements with small-to-large effect sizes following a single treadmill session with the Mobility Rehab Auditory Feedback system. Seventy percent of the participants perceived at least moderate improvement in their gait after the treadmill session. No adverse events were reported.

SIGNIFICANCE: The effectiveness of a single treadmill session with the Mobility Rehab Auditory Feedback system demonstrates its safety and feasibility for retraining gait in people with mild-to-moderate PD.