A new study suggests that the way a person walks may help doctors distinguish between two serious neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) — potentially leading to earlier and more accurate diagnoses.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada and the University of Sydney in Australia studied walking patterns in 26 people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, 20 patients with DLB, and 16 healthy older adults.

Participants walked along a pressure-sensitive walkway under three conditions: at their normal pace, while counting backward from 100, and while subtracting sevens from 100 — a more mentally demanding task.

The study found clear differences in how the two groups moved. People with Parkinson’s disease tended to have a shuffling gait, reduced arm swing, and slower movement. In contrast, those with DLB showed more irregular steps, poorer balance, and difficulty initiating movement. They also tended to take wider steps to help maintain stability.

These distinct patterns could give clinicians a new way to tell the two conditions apart —something that can be challenging in early stages.

The researchers also found that while walking patterns didn’t significantly change during the more difficult mental tasks, cognitive performance did. About one-quarter of patients with DLB were unable to complete the subtraction task, while all patients with Parkinson’s disease were able to finish it.

In addition, people with DLB showed greater variability in step length and how long each foot stayed on the ground. Researchers say this inconsistency may reflect more widespread early brain damage.

The findings are important because the two conditions have very different outlooks. People with Parkinson’s disease can often live 10 to 20 years after diagnosis, while those with DLB have a median survival of less than five years.

Earlier and more accurate diagnosis could help guide treatment decisions and provide better support for patients and families.

As motion-tracking technology becomes more widely available, researchers say analyzing walking patterns could become a simple, noninvasive tool for detecting neurological disease — even outside a traditional doctor’s office.