The Ziegler Test Is Reliable and Valid for Measuring Freezing of Gait in People With Parkinson Disease 

Physical Therapy, Volume 102, Issue 12, December 2022, pzac122, 

The Ziegler Test Is Reliable and Valid for Measuring Freezing of Gait in People With Parkinson Disease 

Lina Goh, BAppSc, Serene S Paul, PhD, Colleen G Canning, PhD, Kaylena A Ehgoetz Martens, Jooeun Song, PhD, Stephanie L Campoy, BAppSc, Natalie E Allen, PhD 

Objective:  The purpose of this study was to determine interrater and test–retest reliability of the Ziegler test to measure freezing of gait (FOG) severity in people with Parkinson disease. Secondary aims were to evaluate test validity and explore Ziegler test duration as a proxy FOG severity measure.

Conclusion:  The Ziegler test is a reliable and valid tool to measure FOG when used by physical therapists in real time. Ziegler test duration may be used as a proxy for measuring FOG severity.

Impact:  Despite FOG being a significant contributor to falls and poor mobility in people with Parkinson disease, current tools to assess FOG are either not suitably responsive or too resource intensive for use in clinical settings. The Ziegler test is a reliable and valid measure of FOG, suitable for clinical use, and may be used by physical therapists regardless of their level of clinical experience.

See full article. https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/102/12/pzac122/6708362