Gait Characteristics in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have reduced gait speeds and more frequent falls. We analyzed gait characteristics and fall risk in these patients using video recordings and questionnaires to determine if these patients had any quantitative changes in gait characteristics and to determine if screening for fall risk provided useful information.

Methods: Patients with COPD who had participated in pulmonary rehabilitation completed a short history falls and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale questionnaire.