Gait strategy in genetically obese patients: a 7-year follow up.
Seven years of weight-loss rehab gives adults with Prader-Willi syndrome smoother, faster hips while walking.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors followed the adults with Prader-Willi syndrome for seven years. Every person stayed in the same hospital rehab program that mixed diet, exercise, and behavioral support.
Twice—once at the start and again seven years later—the team filmed each adult walking. They measured step length, speed, and hip motion with motion-capture cameras.
What they found
After seven years the group lost weight and walked faster. Their hips bent and straightened more smoothly, and step length became more even.
The gains were small but clear: hip movement improved twice as much as ankle movement, showing the hip is the easiest place to see change.
How this fits with other research
Whitehouse et al. (2014) extends these adult findings downward: kids with PWS already log a large share less vigorous activity than obese peers, so the adult gait gains likely build on a low base.
Rigoldi et al. (2012) used the same gait cameras in Down and Ehlers-Danlos groups. Their method match lets you compare PWS hip gains to the hip compensation seen in Down syndrome.
Carpenter (1994) reported one young learners woman with controlled weight who lived decades longer than expected. Cicchetti et al. (2014) now shows that long weight control can also improve movement, not just add years.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with PWS, track hip range during walking tests. A seven-year program can yield measurable hip gains even when total weight loss is modest. Use the hip angle as your quick, objective probe for whether exercise and diet plans are working.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the change in gait and body weight in the long term in patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Eight adults with PWS were evaluated at baseline and after 7 years. During this period patient participated an in- and out-patient rehabilitation programs including nutritional and adapted physical activity interventions. Two different control groups were included: the first group included 14 non-genetically obese patients (OCG: obese control group) and the second group included 10 age-matched healthy individuals (HCG: healthy control group). All groups were quantitatively assessed during walking with 3D-GA. The results at the 7-year follow-up revealed significant weight loss in the PWS group and spatial-temporal changes in gait parameters (velocity, step length and cadence). With regard to the hip joint, there were significant changes in terms of hip position, which is less flexed. Knee flexion-extension showed a reduction of flexion in swing phase and of its excursion. No changes of the ankle position were evident. As for ankle kinetics, we observed in the second session higher values for the peak of ankle power in terminal stance in comparison to the first session. No changes were found in terms of ankle kinetics. The findings demonstrated improvements associated to long-term weight loss, especially in terms of spatial-temporal parameters and at hip level. Our results back the call for early weight loss interventions during childhood, which would allow the development of motor patterns under normal body weight conditions.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.04.005