Examining virtual reality's influence on kinetic variables for obstacle crossing in Parkinson's disease

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q3 NEUROSCIENCES

Gait & posture Pub Date : 2025-05-05 DOI:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2025.05.002

Rezvan Bakhtiyarian , Mahdi Majlesi , Elaheh Azadian , Makwan Jabar Ali

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) commonly experience postural instability during walking and obstacle crossing. Previous research has explored virtual reality (VR) as a rehabilitation tool that affects gait.

Research Question

How does a virtual reality environment influence the kinetic characteristics of gait during obstacle crossing in individuals with Parkinson's disease compared to real-world conditions?

Methods

The study included 15 individuals with PD and 17 matched healthy control participants. The moment and power of lower extremity joints during walking and obstacle crossing conditions in real and VR environments were measured using three-dimensional motion analysis and force platforms.

Results

The results indicate that individuals with PD demonstrated higher hip extensor moments during normal gait (NG) and obstacle crossing (OBS) tasks, accompanied by lower hip flexor moments compared to the control group. Moreover, PD individuals exhibited increased internal rotation hip joint moments during VR obstacle crossing (VR-OBS) tasks compared to NG.

Conclusion

Walking in a VR environment altered the kinetic status in both groups, potentially due to cautious walking to maintain stability. The greatest difference between the two groups was observed in the magnitude of joint moment in the sagittal plane, likely influenced by differences in walking speed. These findings underscore the unique joint moment patterns exhibited by PD patients during various tasks. Walking in a VR environment impacts the kinetic parameters of gait, which may have implications for designing rehabilitation programs aimed at improving gait stability in PD individuals. Clinically, these kinetic alterations highlight VR’s potential as a safe modality for gait rehabilitation and fall prevention in PD.

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研究虚拟现实对帕金森病患者过障动力学变量的影响

帕金森氏病（PD）患者在行走和过障时通常会出现姿势不稳。之前的研究已经探索了虚拟现实（VR）作为一种影响步态的康复工具。研究问题：与现实世界相比，虚拟现实环境如何影响帕金森病患者在穿越障碍时的步态动力学特征？方法选取15例帕金森病患者和17例健康对照。利用三维运动分析和力平台测量了在真实和虚拟现实环境中行走和过障时下肢关节的力矩和力量。结果与对照组相比，PD患者在正常步态（NG）和越障（OBS）任务中表现出较高的髋关节伸肌力矩，并伴有较低的髋关节屈肌力矩。此外，PD个体在VR过障（VR- obs）任务中表现出比NG更高的髋关节内旋力矩。结论在虚拟现实环境中行走改变了两组患者的运动状态，可能是由于谨慎行走以保持稳定。两组之间最大的差异是在矢状面关节力矩的大小，可能受到行走速度差异的影响。这些发现强调了PD患者在各种任务中所表现出的独特关节力矩模式。在VR环境中行走会影响步态的动力学参数，这可能对设计旨在改善PD患者步态稳定性的康复方案具有指导意义。在临床上，这些动力学改变突出了VR作为PD患者步态康复和跌倒预防的安全模式的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Gait & posture 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

12.50%

发文量

616

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Gait & Posture is a vehicle for the publication of up-to-date basic and clinical research on all aspects of locomotion and balance. The topics covered include: Techniques for the measurement of gait and posture, and the standardization of results presentation; Studies of normal and pathological gait; Treatment of gait and postural abnormalities; Biomechanical and theoretical approaches to gait and posture; Mathematical models of joint and muscle mechanics; Neurological and musculoskeletal function in gait and posture; The evolution of upright posture and bipedal locomotion; Adaptations of carrying loads, walking on uneven surfaces, climbing stairs etc; spinal biomechanics only if they are directly related to gait and/or posture and are of general interest to our readers; The effect of aging and development on gait and posture; Psychological and cultural aspects of gait; Patient education.