Keynote Lecture
Prof.ssa ALICE NIEUWBOER
Alice Nieuwboer has been a full professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium). Since October 2023, she has been its professor emeritus. With a clinical background as a physiotherapist, she established a research laboratory for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease (PRO-lab); with her team she contributed to the study of gait and motor control, analyzing which deficits underlie the phenomenon of freezing of gait. He has performed several clinical trials on the effects of rehabilitation interventions. In collaboration with international partners, he is investigating whether digital mobility outcomes derived from walking in real-life conditions can measure freezing and whether it can be reduced with the use of cues and split-belt treatments.
What can exercise offer to help gait and balance problems in Parkinson’s Disease?
Gait and balance impairments are ubiquitous among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) and contribute to the occurrence of freezing of gait and falls. Pharmacological and surgical treatments result in only modest gait improvements, highlighting the need for rehabilitation interventions. Subtle changes in gait, such as reduced arm swing, impaired turning, reduced step length, and increased variability, manifest during the early stages and progress to more disabling features. Gait and balance impairments reduce the amount, intensity, and quality of daily walking. In this session, I will first describe the underlying neuropathology of mobility problems in PD. Next, I will discuss novel and evidence-based exercise, strategy, and lifestyle interventions targeting compensatory networks to cope with gait dysfunction. I will also summarize the evidence on accessible technology for interventions targeting specific networks in the early and late stages of PD. Finally, emerging approaches to manage festination and freezing of gait will be highlighted.
Prof.ssa ALICE NIEUWBOER
Alice Nieuwboer has been a full professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium). Since October 2023, she has been its professor emeritus. With a clinical background as a physiotherapist, she established a research laboratory for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease (PRO-lab); with her team she contributed to the study of gait and motor control, analyzing which deficits underlie the phenomenon of freezing of gait. He has performed several clinical trials on the effects of rehabilitation interventions. In collaboration with international partners, he is investigating whether digital mobility outcomes derived from walking in real-life conditions can measure freezing and whether it can be reduced with the use of cues and split-belt treatments.
What can exercise offer to help gait and balance problems in Parkinson’s Disease?
Gait and balance impairments are ubiquitous among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) and contribute to the occurrence of freezing of gait and falls. Pharmacological and surgical treatments result in only modest gait improvements, highlighting the need for rehabilitation interventions. Subtle changes in gait, such as reduced arm swing, impaired turning, reduced step length, and increased variability, manifest during the early stages and progress to more disabling features. Gait and balance impairments reduce the amount, intensity, and quality of daily walking. In this session, I will first describe the underlying neuropathology of mobility problems in PD. Next, I will discuss novel and evidence-based exercise, strategy, and lifestyle interventions targeting compensatory networks to cope with gait dysfunction. I will also summarize the evidence on accessible technology for interventions targeting specific networks in the early and late stages of PD. Finally, emerging approaches to manage festination and freezing of gait will be highlighted.
Prof.ssa ALICE NIEUWBOER
Alice Nieuwboer has been a full professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium). Since October 2023, she has been its professor emeritus. With a clinical background as a physiotherapist, she established a research laboratory for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease (PRO-lab); with her team she contributed to the study of gait and motor control, analyzing which deficits underlie the phenomenon of freezing of gait. He has performed several clinical trials on the effects of rehabilitation interventions. In collaboration with international partners, he is investigating whether digital mobility outcomes derived from walking in real-life conditions can measure freezing and whether it can be reduced with the use of cues and split-belt treatments.
What can exercise offer to help gait and balance problems in Parkinson’s Disease?
Gait and balance impairments are ubiquitous among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) and contribute to the occurrence of freezing of gait and falls. Pharmacological and surgical treatments result in only modest gait improvements, highlighting the need for rehabilitation interventions. Subtle changes in gait, such as reduced arm swing, impaired turning, reduced step length, and increased variability, manifest during the early stages and progress to more disabling features. Gait and balance impairments reduce the amount, intensity, and quality of daily walking. In this session, I will first describe the underlying neuropathology of mobility problems in PD. Next, I will discuss novel and evidence-based exercise, strategy, and lifestyle interventions targeting compensatory networks to cope with gait dysfunction. I will also summarize the evidence on accessible technology for interventions targeting specific networks in the early and late stages of PD. Finally, emerging approaches to manage festination and freezing of gait will be highlighted.
Prof.ssa ALICE NIEUWBOER
Alice Nieuwboer has been a full professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at KU Leuven (Belgium). Since October 2023, she has been its professor emeritus. With a clinical background as a physiotherapist, she established a research laboratory for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease (PRO-lab); with her team she contributed to the study of gait and motor control, analyzing which deficits underlie the phenomenon of freezing of gait. He has performed several clinical trials on the effects of rehabilitation interventions. In collaboration with international partners, he is investigating whether digital mobility outcomes derived from walking in real-life conditions can measure freezing and whether it can be reduced with the use of cues and split-belt treatments.
What can exercise offer to help gait and balance problems in Parkinson’s Disease?
Gait and balance impairments are ubiquitous among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) and contribute to the occurrence of freezing of gait and falls. Pharmacological and surgical treatments result in only modest gait improvements, highlighting the need for rehabilitation interventions. Subtle changes in gait, such as reduced arm swing, impaired turning, reduced step length, and increased variability, manifest during the early stages and progress to more disabling features. Gait and balance impairments reduce the amount, intensity, and quality of daily walking. In this session, I will first describe the underlying neuropathology of mobility problems in PD. Next, I will discuss novel and evidence-based exercise, strategy, and lifestyle interventions targeting compensatory networks to cope with gait dysfunction. I will also summarize the evidence on accessible technology for interventions targeting specific networks in the early and late stages of PD. Finally, emerging approaches to manage festination and freezing of gait will be highlighted.