Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effects of freezing of gait on spatiotemporal variables, ground reaction forces (GRFs), and joint moments during the sit-to-walk task at the preferred and maximum speeds in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
Method: The subjects were classified by a neurologist into 12 freezers, 12 non-freezers, and 12 controls. Sitto- walk parameters were measured during three repetitions of the task in a random order at the preferred and maximum possible speeds.
Results: In the sit-to-walk task at the preferred speed, the freezers and non-freezers exhibited a higher peak anterior-posterior GRF (p<0.001) in the sit-to-stand phase and lower step velocity (p<0.001), step length (p<0.001), and peak anterior-posterior GRF (p<0.001) in the first-step phase than the controls. The freezers had higher peak anterior-posterior GRF (p<0.001) and peak moment of the hip joint (p=0.008) in the sit-to-stand phase than the non-freezers. In the sit-to-walk phase at the maximum speed, the freezers and non-freezers had lower peak moment of the hip joint (p=0.008) in the sit-to-stand phase than the controls. The freezers and non-freezers displayed lower step velocity (p<0.001) and peak anterior-posterior GRF (p<0.001) in the first-step phase than the controls. The freezers showed higher peak moments of the hip joint in the sit-to-stand phase than the non-freezers (p=0.008).
Conclusion: The PD patients had reduced control ability in sit-to-stand motions for efficient performance of the sit-to-walk task and reduced performance in the sit-to-walk task. Furthermore, the freezers displayed reduced control ability in the sit-to-stand task. Finally, the PD patients exhibited a lower ability to control dynamic stability with changes in speed than the controls.