2020 Volume 37 Issue 1 Pages 47-50
We studied the effect of the physical therapy using a balance adjustment system (BASYS) for gait disturbance in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD). Four PD patients and 4 SCD patients were analyzed. We measured the number of steps, time (second) and 10m walking speed (m/s) before and after physical therapy using BASYS. We carried out the second study 5 to 7 days after the first study. In the first study, the number of steps, time and speed before/after physiotherapy were 26.50 ± 8.20/24.13 ± 6.72 (mean ± SD), 14.55 ± 5.08/12.59 ± 3.84 and 0.77 ± 0.25/0.87 ± 0.27, respectively. In the second study, the results were 23.62 ± 6.26/21.50 ± 5.61, 12.12 ± 3.19/10.56 ± 2.79 and 0.89 ± 0.24/1.02 ± 0.28, respectively. A Wilcoxon signed–rank test revealed significant differences at each time point ; however, no significant difference was found between the results obtained after the first study and before the second study. These findings revealed that the physical therapy with the BASYS improved gait disturbance in patients with PD and SCD, and that the efficacy continued for 5 to 7 days. Afferents from spindles and stretch reflex in the extensor and flexor muscles of the lower legs might modify the spinal neural system, generating the locomotive motor output. Further investigations are needed to prove the effect of the BASYS on gait disturbance in patients with neurodegenerative disease and to clarify the mechanism of its effect.
