NCT00056563 and NCT01076452.

Objective: to identify falling risk factors that are potentially modifiable among individuals who have idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Design: a between group comparison of 19 fallers and 21 nonfallers who have Parkinson's disease, across an array of variables that have been identified as falling risk factors among the elderly and among those who have Parkinson's disease.Results: several variables were demonstrated significantly to distinguish fallers: disease duration and severity; dyskinesias associated with the use of dopaminergic agents; freezing; postural instability; depression; fear of falling; impaired fine motor control and motor planning in the feet; decreased proximal strength and muscular endurance in the legs; and a higher level of disability. Conclusions: several of these variables can be viewed a potentially modifiable during a future intervention trial that aims to reduce falls in those who have Parkinson's disease using multidimensional risk factor modification.

Abstract-Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating feature of Parkinson disease (PD).In this pilot study, we sought to assess the efficacy of a rolling walker with a laser beam visual cue to treat FOG in PD patients. We recruited 22 subjects with idiopathic PD who experienced on-and off-medication FOG. Subjects performed three walking tasks both with and without the laser beam while on medications. Outcome measures included time to complete tasks, number of steps, and number of FOG episodes. A crossover design allowed within-group comparisons between the two conditions. No significant differences were observed between the two walking conditions across the three tasks. The laser beam, when applied as a visual cue on a rolling walker, did not diminish FOG in this study.

In this study, an idiosyncratic falling risk factor profile was demonstrated among our subjects who have Parkinson disease. Three variables were prioritized for potential modification: impaired ambulation, impaired lower-limb motor planning, and orthostasis.