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Abstract
Patients with Parkinson's disease exhibit a variety of motor deficits which can ultimately result in complete disability. The primary objective of this study was to
quantitatively evaluate the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT)
on the gait of patients with Parkinson's disease. Ten patients with idiopathic
Parkinson's disease and a group of eight age-matched normal control subjects ~ere
subjected to an analysis of gait before and after a single session of an OMT protocol. A separate group of 10 patients with Parkinson's disease was given a
sham-control procedure and tested in the same manner. In the treated group of
patients with Parkinson's disease, statistically significant increases were observed
in stride length, cadence, and the maximum velocities of upper and lower extremities
after treatment. There were no significant differences observed in the control
groups. The data demonstrate that a single session of an OMT protocol has
an immediate impact on Parkinsonian gait. Osteopathic manipulation may be an
effective physical treatment method in the management of movement deficits in
patients with Parkinson's disease.