Impact of dual-tasking and balance confidence on turns and transitions: a cross-sectional study in Parkinson's disease

Comprehensive Summary

The study examines how adding a cognitive dual task affects functional performance in patients with Parkinson’s disease. 94 participants with moderate PD completed the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test under single- and dual-task conditions. They found that dual-tasking increased TUG duration, and patients completed the cognitive condition 2.7 seconds more slowly. Across all TUG phases, there were performance decrements, and turning movements showed larger effect sizes. Regression analysis revealed that balance confidence was associated with the dual task interphase during the sit phase. Authors' emphasis, turning, and translational movements are especially vulnerable to cognitive load in PD.

Outcomes and Implications

The research is important because dual task mobility being impaired is linked to being a fall risk and becoming dependent in Parkinson’s patients. They suggest that clinicians should focus on rehabilitation and fall prevention under cognitive conditions rather than evaluating gait speed. Balanced confidence could improve clinicians' identification of patients at higher risk of functional decline during translational movements. The insights are immediately clinically relevant, as the TUG resting with dual-task and balance confidence can be readily implemented in PD rehabilitation.