REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Movement Science
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1621770
This article is part of the Research TopicInsights and Reviews In Movement Science 2025View all articles
The Impact of Parkinson's Disease on Interlimb Coordination: A Scoping Review of Gait Adaptability
Provisionally accepted
- 1Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, United States
- 2School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA, Palo Alto, United States
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Introduction: Interlimb coordination, the synchronization of movements between limbs, is essential for efficient and stable human movement. Disruptions in coordination contribute to gait dysfunction, a common challenge for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). This scoping review investigates how PD impairs interlimb coordination and influences gait adaptability, emphasizing the complexity of motor control challenges. Methods: This review assessed individuals with PD, focusing on spatiotemporal parameters and interlimb coordination within the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework. A literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science™, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar™ in June 2023, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Risk of bias was assessed using an instrument proposed by Downs and Black (1998). Out of 710 studies, 14 met the inclusion criteria. Coordination was evaluated during treadmill or overground walking. Results: The review identified significant gait impairments in individuals with PD, including reduced walking velocity, step length, and range of motion. Coordination deficits were reflected in increased synchronization delays, phase shifts, and higher Phase Coordination Index values, particularly among those with freezing of gait. The findings emphasize the variability in PD's motor effects and highlight the need for individualized assessments and targeted strategies to address gait dysfunction and coordination impairments. Discussion: This review highlights the critical impact of PD on gait dynamics and interlimb coordination, reinforcing the need for personalized interventions aimed at improving coordination, enhancing mobility, reducing fall risk, and improving quality of life.
Keywords: Gait adaptability, Parkinson's disease, gait analysis, Motor dysfunction, Interlimb coordination, Phase Coordination Index (PCI)
Received: 01 May 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Farivar, Huddleston and King. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Morteza Farivar, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, United States
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