INTRODUCTION: Gait impairments in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can lead to increased risk of trips and falls while walking, especially in complex environments. OBJECTIVE: To describe the locomotor behavior of a woman with PSP during free and adaptive walking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case study of a PSP patient (71 years old). For kinematic data collection during free and adaptive walking (low and high obstacle crossing), a digital camcorder captured an entire gait cycle of the patient. RESULTS: Decrease in step length (0.37 ± 0.07; 0.30 ± 0.07; 0.26 ± 0.06 m), stride length (0.71 ± 0.11; 0.58 ± 0 15; 0.47 ± 0.07 m), and stride velocity values (0.55 ± 0.14, 0.43 ± 0.11, 0.36 ± 0.11 m/s) was observed with the increasing of complexity (free walking, low obstacle crossing, and high obstacle crossing, respectively). The patient showed greater duration of double support phase in the high obstacle condition (41.11%) than in the free walking condition (29.47%). Also, toe clearance distance was slightly shorter in high obstacle condition (leading limb: 7.18 ± 1.88 and trailing limb: 8.84 ± 2.57 cm) than in the low obstacle condition (leading limb: 8.86 ± 1.88 and trailing limb: 11.67 ± 2.09 cm). CONCLUSION: PSP clearly impairs the patient's gait. The patient showed inflexibility to adapt to environmental demands during both approaching and crossing obstacle. This behavior could increase the risk of trips and falls.
Gait; Supranuclear progressive palsy; Motor control; Kinemathic
