Research Information System
Irish Journal of Medical Science, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Background: The link between lower extremity dexterity and fall risk among people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) needs to be explore. Objective: To examine the relationships between lower-extremity dexterity and fall risk, fear of falling (FoF), and walking skills in PwPD. Methods: Thirty PwPD were included in the study. Fall risk was determined by the number of falls in the last six months. The Lower-Extremity Dexterity Task (LEDT) for lower-extremity dexterity; the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) for FoF; 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), the Figure-of-Eight Walk Test (FEWT), and the Three-Meter Backward Walk Test (TMBWT) for walking skills were used. Results: Fallers were significantly worse than non-fallers in terms of disease duration, H&Y, UPDRS-3, LEDT Most affected side (MAS), LEDT Least affected side (LAS), ABC, 10MWT, TUG, FEWT and TMBWT (p < 0.05). The LEDT-MAS and LEDT-LAS side were highly correlated with ABC, TUG, and FEWT and moderately correlated with H&Y, UPDRS-3, 10MWT, TMBWT (p < 0.05). The LEDT was a predictor of fall risk with an odds ratio of 1.204 (1.042–1.391) for MAS and odds ratio 1.245 (1.055–1.469) for LAS. The cut-off time of LEDT for best discriminating fallers from non-fallers was 26.23 s for MAS and 23.11 s for LAS. Conclusion: Lower-extremity dexterity is an independent predictor of fall risk in PwPD. Moreover, lower-extremity dexterity is related to FoF and walking skills in PwPD.