In this episode, Parm interviews Chelsea “CJ” Duppen, a winner of the DDSIG platform award at CSM Boston in 2024. CJ, a fourth year PhD student at the University of North Carolina, works with Dr. Mike Lewek in the Recovery of Gait and Neurorehabilitation (ReGaiN) lab, studying gait and gait initiation impairments in people living with Parkinson Disease, as well as motor learning. Parm and CJ discuss CJ’s poster, “Gait Initiation Dynamics in Parkinson Disease: Impact of Weight Shift Amplitude and Freezing of Gait.” CJ tell us about the importance of anticipatory postural adjustments for weight shifts required in gait initiation, and how these play a role in first step length. Have you ever wondered if better weight shift improved someone with PD’s first step? Listen in to learn more!  

The Degenerative Diseases Special Interest Group is part of the Academy of  Neurologic Physical Therapy – www.neuroPT.org