BeatWalk: Personalized Music-Based Gait Rehabilitation in Parkinson’s Disease
Author/s
Cochen De Cock, Valérie; Dotov, Dobromir; Damm, Loic; Lacombe, Sandy; Ihalainen, Petra; [et al.]Date
2021-04Keywords
Parkinson’s disease
Cueing
Rhythmic auditory stimulation
Physical activity
Gait rehabilitation
Precision medicine BeatWalk
Abstract
Taking regular walks when living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) has beneficial effects on movement and quality of life. Yet, patients usually show reduced physical activity compared to healthy older adults. Using auditory stimulation such as music can facilitate walking but patients vary significantly in their response. An individualized approach adapting musical tempo to patients’ gait cadence, and capitalizing on these individual differences, is likely to provide a rewarding experience, increasing motivation for walk-in PD. We aim to evaluate the observance, safety, tolerance, usability, and enjoyment of a new smartphone application. It was coupled with wearable sensors (BeatWalk) and delivered individualized musical stimulation for gait auto-rehabilitation at home. Forty-five patients with PD underwent a 1-month, outdoor, uncontrolled gait rehabilitation program, using the BeatWalk application (30 min/day, 5 days/week). The music tempo was being aligned in real-time to patients’ gait ...
Type
article