Virtual Reality-based Interactive Treadmill Gait Training System for Parkinson's Disease

Virtual Reality-based Interactive Treadmill Gait Training System for Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized, Double-blind, Sham-controlled Pilot Study

Virtual-reality-based interactive treadmill system will be applied to the Parkinsons' disease patients who can walk (Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 to 4). Subjects will be randomly allocated to either VR-based treadmill training group or treadmill training without VR-based interaction. The training will be provided for 3 sessions (30min/session)/week for 4weeks, the total of 12 sessions. The outcomes will be measured at baseline, immediately after the completion of the intervention and 1 month after the intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

• definite or probable idiopathic Parkinson disease patient
• age from 18 to 80 years old
• H&Y stage 2 to 4 and who can walk 10 meter independently regardless of the use of gait aids

Exclusion Criteria:

• unstable medical conditions
• cognitive impairments which interfere with participation in virtual-reality based training
• hemispatial neglect, visual disturbance, apraxia
• other pre-existing disease involving the central nervous system (e.g. stroke, brain tumor)
• requiring the continuous manual assist with touch during the treadmill training
• can not give a consent