November 28, 2023
16:15
Louvain-la-Neuve
PYTH 09
For the degree of Doctor of Engineering Sciences and Technology
Parkinson's disease results in various gait impairments such as reduced gait speed, stride length and cadence, as well as a reduced level of long-range autocorrelations in series of stride durations, a subtle aspect of natural gait variability. In this thesis, the effects on gait of a walking assistance based on adaptive oscillators, naturally adapting to the user’s gait kinematics, and delivered through an active pelvis orthosis, were examined.
In the first part of this thesis, we developed model-based predictions about the loss of long-range autocorrelations in Parkinsonian patients' gait and explored the potential of restoring these using the oscillator-based walking assistance. The findings indicated that this assistance could enhance gait variability in patients, holding promise for gait rehabilitation.
In the second part, we assessed the impact of the assistance on the level of long-range autocorrelations during experiments with healthy aging subjects. The results revealed that the assistance improved gait metrics typically affected by aging, such as hip range of motion, gait speed, stride length and duration, without altering natural gait variability.
In the final part, the influence of a four-week overground gait training with the assistance on Parkinsonian patients’ gait was investigated. The results showed improvements in hip range 
of motion, gait speed, stride length and duration after training, with sustained effects one month later. While the level of long-range autocorrelations in the patients’ gait normalized after training, they did not retain these improvements after one month.
Jury members :
- Prof. Renaud Ronsse (UCLouvain, Belgium), supervisor
- Prof. Hervé Jeanmart (UCLouvain, Belgium), chairperson
- Prof. Frédéric Crevecoeur (UCLouvain, Belgium)
- Prof. Thierry Lejeune (UCLouvain, Belgium)
- Dr. Thibault Warlop (UCLouvain, Belgium)
- Prof. Friedl De Groote (KULeuven, Belgium)
- Prof. Olivier White (Université de Bourgogne, France)