Long-term Effects of Combined Balance and Brisk Walking in Parkinson's Disease

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Parkinson Disease

Treatments: Behavioral: Combined balance and brisk walking training; Behavioral: Flexibility and strengthening exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04665869

HSEARS20191206002

Details and patient eligibility

About

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized with both clinical motor and non-motor features, as well as decrease in balance performance and walking endurance. The non-motor symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and fatigue wound impose negative impacts on the quality of life of the individuals with PD. Aerobic endurance training can improve physical capacity and reduce those non-motor symptoms such as mood and sleep disorders. Based on the results of our recent pilot study, brisk walking is a safe and moderate-level aerobic walking exercise for improving walking capacity in the PD population up to 6 week after treatment ended. Community-based balance training could also enhance balance performance and dual-task gait performance up to 12-month follow-up for people with PD. The primary purpose of this proposed study is to investigate the short- and long-term effects of a 6-month balance and brisk walking programme in alleviating non-motor and motor symptoms in people with PD. The secondary objective is to examine the short- and long-term effects of a 6-month balance and brisk walking program on enhancing walking capacity, balance performance, and quality of life.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 30 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Parkinson disease diagnosed by neurologist with Hoehn & Yahr stage 2 or 3
• Having a 30-meter walking ability

Exclusion criteria

• Significant neurological condition (other than Parkinson's disease)
• Musculoskeletal conditions affecting gait, balance or functions
• Had received deep brain stimulation surgery
• Cognitive impairment with Montreal Cognitive Assessment score <24
• Present with on-off motor fluctuations.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

Combined balance and brisk walking training

Experimental group

Description:

Week1-6: Supervised training in groups of 6-8 participant, once/week, 90 min/session 2. Week 7-26: Supervised training in groups of 6-8 participant, once/month, 90 min/session 3. Participants practice own balance exercise and brisk walking 2-3 times/week (to aim at 150 min of moderate intensity of brisk walking per week at 40-60% of heart rate reserve)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Combined balance and brisk walking training

Flexibility and strengthening exercise

Active Comparator group

Description:

1. Week1-6: Supervised training in groups of 6-8 participant, once/week, 90 min/session 2. Week 7-26: Supervised training in groups of 6-8 participant, once/month, 90 min/session 3. Participants practice own flexibility and strengthening exercise 2-3 times/week (to aim at 150 min of exercise per week)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Flexibility and strengthening exercise