Researchers at a German university have found that using a treadmill may improve gait in people with Parkinson’s.
As part of the study – published in medical journal ‘Human Movement Science’ – 38 participants living with the condition completed 40 minutes of treadmill training twice a week for a period of eight weeks. Of that group, 18 varied the surface incline on the treadmill while the other 20 did not.
While the results showed improved gait in both training groups, those that varied the incline saw significant improvement in stride length, stance and walking speed.
The researchers, based at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany said: “[Parkinson’s disease] patients demonstrated marked gait adaptations to the eight-week treadmill intervention, which were partially retained after three months follow-up”.