Six-Month Community-Based Brisk Walking and Balance Exercise Alleviates Motor Symptoms and Promotes Functions in People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Affiliations:
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Margaret K.Y. Mak, PhD, Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. Tel.: +852 2766 6708; Fax: +852 2330 8656; E-mail: margaret.mak@polyu.edu.hk.
Abstract: Background:In Parkinson’s disease (PD), sustained aerobic exercise is a promising therapy in delaying motor disability. Brisk walking is a moderate intensity aerobic training, which could be translated to community practice at low cost, but its effects on motor symptoms remains unclear. Objective:To determine the effectiveness of a six-month brisk walking and balance program in alleviating motor symptoms, and promoting functional, gait, and balance performance in people with PD. Methods:Seventy individuals with mild to moderate PD were randomly assigned to a brisk walking (BW) group or an active control (CON) group. BW group received ten 90-minute supervised brisk walking and balance exercise for six months (weeks 1–6: once/week, weeks 7–26: once/month). CON group received upper limb training. Both groups performed 2-3 self-practice sessions weekly. Primary outcome was Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) motor score. Secondary outcomes were fast gait speed (FGS), timed-up-and-go (TUG) time, six-minute walk distance (6MWD), and Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BEST) score. Results:Sixty-four participants (33 BW/31 CON) completed training. BW group showed greater significant decreases from baseline than CON group in MDS-UPDRS motor score after six weeks (–5.5 vs –1.6, p < 0.001) and 6 months (–6.0 vs –1.4, p < 0.001) of training. BW group also showed greater significant improvement from the baseline than CON group for TUG time, FGS, 6MWD, and mini-BEST score (all p < 0.05). Conclusion:The six-month brisk walking and balance program alleviates motor symptoms, promotes functional and gait performance, walking capacity, and dynamic balance in people with mild to moderate PD.
