Walking with music is a safe and viable tool for gait training in Parkinson's disease: the effect of a 13-week feasibility study on single and dual task walking
Date
2010
Authors
de Bruin Nutley, Natalie
Doan, Jon B.
Turnbull, George
Suchowersky, Oksana
Bonfield, Stephan
Hu, Bin
Brown, Lesley
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Abstract
This study explored the viability and efficacy of integrating cadence-matched, salientmusic into a walking intervention for patients
with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Twenty-two people with PD were randomised to a control (CTRL, n = 11) or experimental
(MUSIC, n = 11) group. MUSIC subjects walked with an individualised music playlist three times a week for the intervention
period. Playlists were designed to meet subject’s musical preferences. In addition, the tempo of the music closely matched (±10–
15 bpm) the subject’s preferred cadence. CTRL subjects continued with their regular activities during the intervention. The effects
of training accompanied by “walking songs” were evaluated using objective measures of gait score. The MUSIC group improved
gait velocity, stride time, cadence, and motor symptom severity following the intervention. This is the first study to demonstrate
that music listening can be safely implemented amongst PD patients during home exercise.
Description
Sherpa Romeo green journal. Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) applies
Keywords
Gait performance , Walking with music , Music listening
Citation
de Bruin, N., Doan, J.B., Turnbull, G., Suchowersky, O., Bonfield, S., Hu, B., & Brown, L. A. (2010). Walking withi music is a safe and viable tool for gait training in Parkinson's disease: the effect of a 13-week feasibility study on single and dual task walking. Parkinson's Disease, 2010:483530. doi:10.4061/2010/483530