Mark W. Rogers

Northwestern University, Rogers (United States), American Physical Therapy Association

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Mark W. Rogers is a leading researcher in the neurorehabilitation of movement disorders, with a primary focus on postural control and gait initiation. His work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs)—the subtle shifts in weight and stability that precede voluntary movement—are disrupted in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Through a series of highly cited studies, Rogers demonstrated that patients with PD exhibit significant delays and altered characteristics in these preparatory postural actions, which directly impair their ability to initiate stepping and increase fall risk. His most influential paper, "Acute effects of a lateral postural assist on voluntary step initiation in patients with Parkinson's disease" (2006, 49 citations), established a critical link between lateral weight transfer deficits and the breakdown of posture-locomotion integration in PD. Building on this, his work on posture-assisted step training (2009, 16 citations) provided early evidence that targeted interventions can improve rapid step initiation, offering a practical pathway for rehabilitation. Rogers’ research has been instrumental in shifting clinical focus from isolated gait training to addressing the foundational postural impairments that underlie mobility loss, making his contributions essential reading for students and clinicians in movement neuroscience and physical therapy.