A registered report of a crossover study on the effects of face masks on walking adaptability in people with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis

PLOS ONE · 6 authors, 7 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

POPULATION50 patients with Parkinson's disease or Multiple Sclerosis attending inpatient neurorehabilitation

INTERVENTIONWalking tests performed while wearing an FFP2 face mask

COMPARISONWalking tests performed without a face mask

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

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TL;DR

This is a registered report describing a planned crossover study that will test whether wearing an FFP2 face mask affects walking adaptability in 50 patients with Parkinson's disease or Multiple Sclerosis undergoing inpatient neurorehabilitation.

Full summary

994 CHARS

This registered report outlines a planned crossover study investigating the effects of FFP2 face-mask wearing on walking adaptability in patients with Parkinson's disease or Multiple Sclerosis during inpatient neurorehabilitation. Fifty patients will be randomized to perform the C-Gait test on a VR-based C-Mill+VR treadmill and four clinical mobility tests with and without an FFP2 mask. The primary endpoint is the C-Gait composite score, calculated as the mean of high-difficulty subtests plus the cognitive dual-task score. Secondary endpoints include the seven C-Gait subtest scores, the 10-Meter Walk test, the Timed Up-and-Go test with and without a dual task, and stair ascent/descent. Participants will also report perceived performance and safety. As a registered report, no results are yet available; the protocol is registered as DRKS00030207 with planned data collection from 12/2022 to 7/2023, and ethical approval was granted by the University of Bonn Ethics Committee (269/21).

PICO

PPOPULATION

50 patients with Parkinson's disease or Multiple Sclerosis attending inpatient neurorehabilitation

IINTERVENTION

Walking tests performed while wearing an FFP2 face mask

OOUTCOME

Primary: C-Gait composite score (mean of high-difficulty subtests plus cognitive dual-task performance). Secondary: individual C-Gait subscores and clinical mobility tests (10-Meter Walk, Timed Up-and-Go, dual-task TUG, stair ambulation).

STUDY TYPE

RCT

SPECIALTY

neurology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10309975

A registered report of a crossover study on the effects of face masks on walking adaptability in people with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis

PLOS ONE

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Background Face masks protrude into the lower visual field causing reduced perception of visual stimuli, potentially making obstacle avoidance during walking more difficult and increasing fall risk. Recommendations on walking and mask wearing for older adults have been debated, with no clear consensus on the various factors interacting and influencing walking safety while wearing a face mask. It is particularly important to address this issue in populations at an increased risk of falls. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of mask-wearing on objectively measured walking adaptability in people with Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Methods 50 patients with either Parkinson’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis attending inpatient neurorehabilitation will be recruited to participate in this crossover study. Performance during a standardized gait adaptability (C-Gait) test on a VR-based treadmill (C-Mill+VR), as well as during clinical mobility tests (10-meter walk test, Timed Up & Go test, and stair ambulation) will be measured with and without an FFP2- mask (order randomized). In addition, participants will be asked about their perceived performance and perceived safety during the tests with and without a mask. Performance on the seven C-Gait subtests is based on centre of pressure-derived measures of foot placement in relation to the different tasks. These are averaged and added to a cognitive C-Gait task to give the overall composite score (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes will include the different subscores and clinical mobility tests. Potential significance This study will make an important contribution to an ongoing debate regarding recommendations persons with and without a neurological disease should be given regarding wearing a face mask while walking. Furthermore, the study will complement the existing scientific discourse with clinical data from people with a neurological disease for whom falls, mobility deficits and mask wearing may be more frequent, which can help inform evidence-based recommendations. Trial registration German clinical trial register: DRKS00030207 .

CITATION EXPORT

Mareike Eschweiler, Christopher McCrum, Eleftheria Giannouli et al.. A registered report of a crossover study on the effects of face masks on walking adaptability in people with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. PLOS ONE. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286402

AUTHORS

6 · 7 CENTRES

Mareike Eschweiler, Christopher McCrum, Eleftheria Giannouli, Eric R. Anson, Eric R. Anson, Eric R. Anson

1 Neurological Rehabilitation Center Godeshoehe GmbH, Department of Therapeutic Science, Bonn, Germany
2 Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
3 Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
4 Neuromotor Rehabilitation Research Group, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
5 Department of Health Sciences & Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
6 Division of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Department of Sport, Exercise, and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
University of Rochester, UNITED STATES

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Eric R. Anson