Investigating Therapies for Freezing of Gait Targeting the Cognitive, Limbic, and Sensorimotor Domains.
Rebecca Chow, Bryan P Tripp, Daniel Rzondzinski and 1 others
PMID 33559531WHAT IT FOUND
Proprioceptive training improved lab-measured freezing of gait, but cognitive training results were inconsistent and anxiety-focused CBT worsened freezing.
The small sample size means these findings are preliminary and should not change clinical practice yet.
Key findings
01Proprioceptive training showed consistent improvements in the frequency and duration of freezing episodes, whereas cognitive training results were inconsistent and CBT worsened freezing.
02None of the interventions significantly improved standard gait parameters or self-reported freezing severity.
03The study was underpowered, with results driven by a few participants and over half not freezing during assessments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (15 participants), and the study was not powered to detect differences. Over half of the participants did not freeze during the assessments, meaning results were driven by a few individuals. Self-reported freezing severity did not improve, suggesting lab findings may not translate to daily life. The CBT intervention specifically targeted anxiety, so results may not apply to CBT for depression.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, which did not play a role in the design, analysis, or writing of the manuscript.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant reduction in freezing episodes after cognitive training as evidence it works. The authors state this result was inconsistent across assessment conditions and not supported by participant-level data, suggesting it may be a random fluctuation in a very small sample.