Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation implementation on gait in parkinson's disease

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of standard and modified RAS implemantations on gait in individuals with PD. The study included a total of 26 individuals, 13 individuals with PD in the Parkinson's group and 13 asymptomatic individuals in the control group. Demographic information of individuals were recorded. The disease stage of the individuals in the Parkinson group was determined by Modified Hoehn&Yahr Scale. Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale was applied to the individuals in the Parkinson group in order to determine the severity of the disease. The time-distance parameters of the individuals gait before the RAS implementation were examined on 10 meter field, the gait of performance was assessed using the Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment test (POMA) and the Time Up and Go test (TUG). The two different metronome rhythms, both melodic and non-melodic, adjusted to the individuals's normal cadence and to 10% increase in this cadence. The individuals were asked to gait under the four different RAS conditions in a 10-meter area. Three songs were used for the melodic RAS implementation of the Classical Turkish Music Longa and Sirto forms. At the end of the study, the velocity, step length and stride length values of the walking parameters were similar with the first measurement in the control group (p> 0.05); There was a significant difference between the first measurement and RAS methods in Parkinson's group (p <0.05). No significant difference was found between the first measurement and the RAS methods for the cadence and return time values between the groups (p> 0.05). The first measurements for POMA and the final measurements were similar in groups. While there was no difference between the first and last measurements in the control group for TUG (p> 0.05), the last measurements in the Parkinson's group showed a significant improvement from the initial measurements. As a result, the RAS implementation did not affect the gait of the control group; it has positively affected gait by increasing the gait velocity and step length of individuals with PD and by providing improvement in TUG. As a result of this positive effect of RAS; It was concluded that it could be safely included in PD rehabilitation, and further studies are needed to optimize the RAS implementation.