{"id":32169,"date":"2021-10-07T12:55:21","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T16:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.parkinson.ca\/?post_type=profile&p=32169"},"modified":"2021-10-07T12:55:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T16:55:21","slug":"predicting-gait-problems","status":"publish","type":"profile","link":"https:\/\/www.parkinson.ca\/fr\/profile\/predicting-gait-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting gait problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Dr.<\/abbr> Kevin Yen speaks of his desire to specialize in treating Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, he recalls a patient he saw as a first-year resident.<\/p>\n

As a resident, he lacked training and experience with Parkinson’s. That lack of knowledge prevented Yen and his colleagues from realizing that a woman they had diagnosed with Parkinson’s had multiple systems atrophy \u2013 a rare and more aggressive disease that can present like Parkinson’s.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0A year later, she had deteriorated really quickly, and her quality of life was not great,\u00a0\u00bb he remembers.<\/p>\n

Although there were no treatment options, the delay in diagnosis meant the woman didn’t have access to supportive therapies they could have offered.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0If we had just found out earlier, we could have made a lot of changes,\u00a0\u00bb Yen says.<\/p>\n

\n

Yen’s experience with that patient sparked his interest in learning all he can about Parkinson’s, and in conducting research to improve people’s quality of life, especially concerning difficulties in walking.<\/p>\n

Yen \u2013 now a neurologist \u2013 is spending a year as a clinical movement disorder fellow at the University of Alberta to learn more about surgical options and other ways to treat people with Parkinson’s effectively.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0Having an additional year to focus on clinical and research aspects can make a big difference to your understanding of what Parkinson’s involves,\u00a0\u00bb he says.<\/p>\n

During his fellowship, Yen will use MRI scans and special walkways that analyze the gait of people with Parkinson’s. With the brain scans and the gait analysis, he hopes to pinpoint the specific areas in the brain that may be affecting gait when people have Parkinson’s.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Yen hopes his findings can be used as a biomarker to predict which patients will eventually develop gait problems and falls. That information would help doctors refer patients for physical and occupational therapy and walking aids sooner, helping them stay independent at home as long as possible and preventing further injury and disability.<\/p>\n

He’s motivated by thoughts of the length of time most patients live with Parkinson’s, and their families. Earlier interventions by neurologists who understand the many ways Parkinson’s is affecting their lives could help people live better with the disease, Yen says.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0This disease is so much more than just being stiff and slow,\u00a0\u00bb he adds. \u00ab\u00a0This is about every aspect of how a person will live for decades to come.\u00a0\u00bb <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"template":"","class_list":["post-32169","profile","type-profile","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t