Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Kinesiology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The focus of this dissertation involves the effects of static ankle stretching on balance and gait in adults of different ages and with Parkinson’s disease (PD). A brief introduction in Chapter 1 precedes a detailed literature review in Chapter 2, in which we identify gaps in research on balance and gait following ankle stretching and explain why ankle stretching may serve as a predominant strategy for improving motor performance in aging and PD populations. In Chapter 3, we present the first study identifying whether muscle group selection or stretch duration influences balance in young adults. Results showed that longer durations of opposing ankle muscle stretches increased medio-lateral sway in healthy young adults, potentially due to increased range of motion (ROM), while proprioception remained unchanged. In Chapter 4, we expand this protocol to healthy young adults, healthy older adults, and individuals with PD while also assessing ROM to determine whether the proposed relationship between ROM and postural sway exists in these populations. ROM increased while proprioceptive error decreased. Postural sway showed little change across groups; however, ROM correlations revealed that individuals with PD produced greater reductions in postural sway with greater increases in ROM, particularly for those with greater rigidity symptoms, whereas healthy young adults demonstrated greater increases in postural sway with greater increases in ROM. Results support that increasing ROM in people with greater stiffness due to PD can help reduce sway, possibly improving balance. In Chapter 5, we examine how opposing ankle muscle stretching influences gait across age and PD. Opposing ankle muscle stretching increased step length, cadence, and velocity across all groups while decreasing single-support percentage during normal walking. During fast walking, older adults and individuals with PD increased velocity and cadence following stretching, whereas young adults showed minimal change. Together, these findings indicate that ankle stretching effects vary across population characteristics and task demands.

Date

4-2-2026

Committee Chair

Hondzinski, Jan M.

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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