ABSTRACT
Postural instability and axial rigidity are frequent symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Objective
Correlate the occurrence of falls and the activity of rolling over in bed with performance on the Trunk Mobility Scale (TMS) in patients with PD, and determine whether this instrument score can predict the risk of falls.
Method
This is a cross-sectional study. Assessed patients reported the frequency of falls in the previous year and whether they had difficulties rolling over in bed. Then, the following scales were applied: TMS, Hoehn and Yahr, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III and Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living.
Results
Eighty-five patients were analyzed. Patients with a history of falling showed worse performance in the TMS (p < 0.01). There is a significant correlation between TMS and the activity of rolling over in bed (p < 0.01).
Conclusion
PD fallers present worse scores in TMS, and there is a significant correlation between difficulty rolling over in bed and TMS score.
Parkinson disease; accidental falls; mobility limitation; postural balance
