Freezing and gait disorders in Parkinson's disease

More than one third of patients with Parkinson disease experience freezing. It is characterized by the feeling that one's feet are "glued to the floor", and it is more common in the later stages of the disease. The causes of this gait disorder are not yet fully established, but it may lead patients to suffer falls and lose their independence. As a consequence, the development of therapeutic measures which can overcome freezing is of fundamental importance for the autonomy of such individuals. There is no consensus in the literature on the most recommended therapeutic measures for the prevention or attenuation of freezing in gait. What seems to be defined are the phenomenological aspects of the disorder and good therapy, represented by the association between drug therapy and sensorial stimuli or motor coordination training geared towards the specificities to avoid motor difficulties of freezing, when triggering factors are present.