Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Clinical Gait Analysis and Gait Rehabilitation
A collaboration between:
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Gait Analysis and Rehabilitation in Adults in Health and Disease
Improving quality of life for people with Parkinson disease.
Gait rehabilitation is a crucial step in the recovery process for people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson disease, Huntington disease and stroke.
Therapists teach people how to walk again and perform every day tasks in their homes and communities. In short, they help people regain quality of life.
This research stream focusses on understanding gait disorders and falls in older adults in health and disease. The research also investigates the effects of different therapy interventions.
A team of researchers is looking at ways to improve mobility and prevent falls in people with Parkinson disease who live at home. This large randomised controlled clinical trial starts with an eight-week outpatient therapy programme, followed by a 12-month analysis of walking ability, falls and quality of life.
Another study is examining visual cues and attention strategies can affect walking for people with basal ganglia conditions when they walk or cross obstacles. This research also explores different strategies for regaining locomotor skills.
Researchers are also comparing therapies for people hospitalised with Parkinson disease. The randomised controlled clinical trial measures the effects of strength training compared to general exercises over 12 weeks.
In another important study, researchers have launched a major study into ways to prevent the high number of falls by older people and to thereby reduce injury.
Despite research showing that a third of all elderly people living in the community fall each year, there have been few large Australian studies on the predictors of falls in older adults in retirement villages or the effects of different falls prevention and mobility enhancement programmes. This research will provide answers to this question.