Mobility problems don't just affect movement; they erode self-confidence and increase the risk of hospitalization. While standard clinic tests capture a snapshot, they miss the 24-hour reality of instability and fall risk at home. By analyzing Functional Mobility through the DEEP Stack Model, we have pinpointed a clear disconnect: our definitions are solid, but our real-world data models need work. Discover how we are collaborating to build context-aware algorithms that turn raw sensor data into a regulatory-ready measure of patient independence.
The bridge between motor impairment and independence.
Functional mobility is the ability of an individual to move their body safely and independently within their environment to accomplish everyday tasks. It serves as the critical link between physiological motor impairments and a patient's everyday participation, independence, and quality of life.
Mobility problems increase in severity with disease duration, with severe issues rising more than fourfold, from 3.8% in early stages to 15.4% in later stages. Even simple tasks like standing up from a chair, walking across a room, or turning can trigger severe instability causing increased risk of falls, hospitalization.
Patients describe mobility difficulties as a “fear of falling”, “feeling stuck to the ground”, or “di-fficulty in controlling movement”. The inability to move safely erodes self-confidence, leading to activity avoidance and reduced social participation.
For Pharma Commercial & Market Access teams, this narrative is vital. It shifts the conversation from "symptom management" (e.g., stiffness) to "preserving autonomy." Therapies that improve complex mobility tasks directly protect the patient's ability to live independently.
Postural Instability & Gait Parameters
It is key to consider the stage of the condition in your context of use when considering which concept of interest to focus on. The gait changes appear very early in the disease and progress gradually alongside bradykinesia and functional mobility and affect functional mobility at all disease stages. In late-stage PD, impaired balance also referred to as postural instability.
Patients who score high in Postural Instability and Gait Difficulty (PIGD) composite score, typically show a faster annual decline in mobility compared and show a more rapid disease progression and a poorer overall prognosis. Postural instability, has been described as the most common reason for emergency‑room visits among PD patients due to increase in the number of falls and fall-related injuries.
To move this measure from research to regulation, we analyze it through the Stack Model which reveals exactly where we have solid footing and where we need focused development.
1) Patient Relevance (Definition)
2) Measurement & Data Model (Technical)
3) Evidence & Interpretation (Clinical)
Functional mobility is the "vital sign" of independence in Parkinson's Disease. While we can measure movement with high precision, the challenge lies in translating these measurements into reliable, real-world predictors of patient safety.
Whether you are a Data Architect looking to refine context-aware algorithms or a Clinician aiming to validate functional mobility measures, the DEEP platform provides the collaborative framework to build these missing layers. If you have an interest in defining the standards or leading the clinical validation for this measure, let's collaborate.
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