Exercise could improve balance, mobility in Parkinsons patients

January 2, 2015

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Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Even if it doesnt reduce their risk of falling, Parkinsons disease patients could benefit in other ways from balance and leg-strengthening exercises, according to research published Wednesday in the online edition of the American Academy of Neurology journal Neurology.

Such exercises could improve those individuals overall balance, ability to move around and quality of life, Dr. Colleen G. Canning of the University of Sydney and her colleagues found in a randomized, controlled trial involving 231 Parkinsons patients.

As part of the study, each of those patients either received their usual treatment or participated in an exercise program of 40 to 60 minutes of balance and leg exercises three times per week over a period of six months. The exercise program was prescribed and monitored by a physical therapist and an average of 13 percent of them were supervised by a physical therapist.

According to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation, the condition is a chronic and progressive movement disorder, meaning that symptoms will become worse over time. Nearly one million Americans currently live with the disease, whose cause is unknown. Presently, there is no cure for Parkinsons, though medication and surgery can help manage the symptoms of the disease.

In a statement, Dr. Canning explained that falling is a common problem for people with the degenerative disorder, with 60 percent of them experiencing at least one every year and two-thirds of those falling on multiple occasions. The resulting injuries, as well as the limitation of activity and the fears of falling again can serious impact a persons well-being, she noted.

Compared to a control group, the number of falls by participants who exercised was reduced in those with a less severe form of Parkinsons disease. In fact, a 70 percent reduction in falls was reported in those individuals, but the same was not true of those with more severe disease.

These results suggest that minimally supervised exercise programs aimed at reducing falls in people with Parkinsons should be started early in the disease process, Canning said. Overall, those who exercised performed better on tests of mobility and balance, had a reduced fear of falling and reported better overall mood and quality of life, the study authors said.

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Exercise could improve balance, mobility in Parkinsons patients