•  
  •  
 

THE INFLUENCE OF FORCE PRODUCTION ON FEAR OF FALLING IN PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Abstract

C. Schaef1, J. Greene2, S. Sankar2, C.J. Wutzke2

1University of Washington, Spokane, WA, 2Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that impacts gait and cognition, with resting tremor, rigidity, and hypokinesia. With these changes in ability, people with PD are more prone to falls. Roughly 2/3 of people with PD experience a fall each year, incurring associated negative physical and psychosocial outcomes including reduced quality of life. A better understanding of the association between force production and fall risk is important in designing complete treatment plans. PURPOSE: To determine the influence of force production on the fear of falling. METHODS: Isometric torque production were recorded at the knee and ankle bilaterally using an isokinetic dynamometer. Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini Mental State Exam, Activities Balance Confidence Scale, and Falls Efficacy Scale administered to participants to assess cognition and fear of falling. Spearman’s correlation coefficients calculated to determine associations among maximum torque production, time to peak torque production, torque per second, and all questionnaires. RESULTS: Average MOCA (, MMSE (), Falls Efficacy Questionnaire (, and ABC (scores. Torque at the affected and unaffected ankles were found to be and . Torque per second at affected and unaffected ankles were found to be and . A strong positive association was found between torque per second on the unaffected leg and MOCA (, ). A strong negative association was found between both peak torque of affected and unaffected ankles and falls efficacy scale (, , , ). A strong negative association was found between time to peak torque in unaffected ankle and MMSE score (, ). A strong negative association was found between torque per second of affected leg and Falls efficacy score (, ). A strong positive correlation between torque per second and MMSE score (, . CONCLUSION: Decreased strength in ankle dorsiflexion experienced by individuals with PD may contribute to fear of falling and confidence in executing daily activities. Stronger correlations between affected limb and fear of falling, suggest the ability and strength of affected limb is more relevant in determining fall risk.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS