Progression of postural changes in Parkinson's disease: quantitative assessment.

Previous studies of posture in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients focused on the pathophysiology of severe deformities, using mainly subjective estimations or goniometric measures. The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors associated with flexed posture in PD and their effects on the course of posture variations. One hundred-ninety patients with definite PD were prospectively evaluated for angles of spinal inclination in upright position, extension, and flexion using a mechanical computer-assisted, hand-held device (SpinalMouse).

Beneficial effect of levodopa therapy on stooped posture in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: This study was designated to quantitatively evaluate the effect of levodopa on spinal posture in patients with PD using a computer-assisted handheld SpinalMouse device.

Methods: Prospective case-study involving 48 patients with definite PD. All patients were recruited between September 2011 and September 2013 and included 22 dopa-naïve, evaluated before and 3 months after initiation of treatment, and 26 patients with response fluctuations studied during the "off" and "on" states.