Gait impairments are among the most disabling motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). As the disease progresses, gait impairment generally becomes increasingly more severe, markedly affecting a person's mobility, independence and quality of life. While dopaminergic therapy may have some beneficial effects on gait speed and step length, pharmacological treatment alone rarely suffices to adequately ameliorate gait quality. Therefore, complementary non-pharmacological interventions form an essential part of the management of gait impairment in PD. This dissertation focusses on one specific element within the broad spectrum of non-pharmacological interventions for gait impairment in PD: the application of compensation strategies. The term compensation strategies refers to a wide variety of “detours” that are typically spontaneously invented by persons with PD to improve their gait. Examples of such strategies include: walking while rhythmically counting, while bouncing a ball, or while mimicking the gait pattern of another person. The present work includes reports on the objectively measured (lab-based) efficacy, as well as the subjective (patient-rated) efficacy of compensation strategies in improving gait in PD. It touches upon the suspected mechanisms underlying the various forms of compensation and provides concrete recommendations for clinical practice based on the presented evidence.