Postural instability and falls are more frequent in Parkinson’s disease patients with worse trunk mobility

Abstract

Postural instability and axial rigidity are frequent symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objective: Correlate the occurrence of falls and the activity of rolling over in bed with performance on the Trunk Mobility Scale (TMS) in patients with PD, and determine whether this instrument score can predict the risk of falls. Method: This is a cross-sectional study. Assessed patients reported the frequency of falls in the previous year and whether they had difficulties rolling over in bed. Then, the following scales were applied: TMS, Hoehn and Yahr, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III and Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living. Results: Eighty-five patients were analyzed. Patients with a history of falling showed worse performance in the TMS (p < 0.01). There is a significant correlation between TMS and the activity of rolling over in bed (p < 0.01). Conclusion: PD fallers present worse scores in TMS, and there is a significant correlation between difficulty rolling over in bed and TMS score.