Balance problems with Parkinson's are anxiety dependent
20 January 2011
A research paper will be published this month confirming that
anxiety and fear have a direct influence on how healthy adults and
younger people feel about balancing and falling in certain
situations. And it's the same for people with Parkinson's.
The study was done by researchers from Canada and the
Netherlands. The paper will be published in the journal
Neuroscience.
Being able to come up with ways to help manage the anxiety associated with falls could make a real difference.
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research
Fear of falling and anxiety are 2 commonly-reported non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's.
The anxiety associated with a fear of falling can prevent many
people with Parkinson's from enjoying the benefits of regular
exercise outdoors.
What the researchers did
The researchers wanted to find out whether people with
Parkinson's and people without the condition responded similarly or
differently to increases in anxiety around falling.
14 people with Parkinson's and 16 without were positioned
standing in 3 different situations with increasing perceived
risk:
- standing quietly at ground level
- standing at the edge of a surface with an elevation of
80cm
- and standing at the edge of a surface with an elevation of
160cm
They recorded how stable each individual felt and how anxious or
fearful they became. The researchers found the link between anxiety
and fear and balance was the same for both groups.
Our research into falls and Parkinson's
Dr Kieran Breen, our Director of Research and Development
comments:
"We’re
passionate about finding ways to improve life for people with
Parkinson's. And we have been funding research into falls since
2009.
"We gave a career development award to Dr Emma Stack
at the University of Southampton to research
why people with Parkinson's are so prone to falling
outdoors.
Image right: Dr Emma Stack, University of
Southampton
"This new study highlights the impact of a person's perceived
risk of falling on their actual risk of doing so.
"We know that falling is a major problem for many people with
Parkinson's that needs addressing. And being able to come up with
ways to help manage the anxiety associated with it could make a
real difference.
"Further research is needed to assess how a person's perception
affects this risk."
More about falls and Parkinson's
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