Does treadmill training improve lower-extremity tasks in Parkinson disease? A randomized controlled trial. The effects of incremental speed-dependent treadmill training on postural instability and fear of falling in Parkinson's disease. Treadmill training with body weight support: its effect on Parkinson's disease. Training with verbal instructional cues results in near-term improvement of gait in people with Parkinson disease. The effect of exercise training in improving motor performance and corticomotor excitability in people with early Parkinson's disease. Gait and step training to reduce falls in Parkinson's disease. Long-term effect of body weight-supported treadmill training in Parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled trial.
To investigate whether gait training with treadmill improves functional tasks of lower extremities in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).
                Randomized controlled trial including two groups, the treadmill training group and the nonintervention group.
                University hospital.
                Thirty consecutive patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD, who were on stable regimens of antiparkinsonian medication, able to walk independently, and had not participated in a rehabilitation program in the previous 3 months. Patients with severe cognitive impairments or severe musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, neurologic, or other systemic disorders were excluded. Twenty-four patients completed the study.
                Group I attended a training program on a treadmill for 6 weeks, and group II served as the control group. Both groups were instructed in home mobility exercises.
                The primary study outcome measures were timed functional lower-extremity tasks (walking at a corridor, U-turn, turning around a chair, stairs, standing on one foot, standing from a chair), and secondary outcome measures were exercise test and patient's global assessment. Assessments were performed at baseline and at the end of the study.
                There were significant improvements in functional lower-extremity tests, exercise test parameters, and patients' global assessment in group I, whereas no significant improvements were observed in group II.
                Even though long-term effects remain unknown and the study sample was small, it was concluded that treadmill training in PD patients led to improvements in lower-extremity tasks, thus improving patients' physical well-being in daily life. To detect the effectiveness of incremental speed-dependent treadmill training on postural instability, dynamic balance and fear of falling in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
                Randomized controlled trial.
                Ankara Education and Research Hospital, 2nd PM&R Clinic, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Unit.
                Fifty-four patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease in stage 2 or 3 of the Hoehn Yahr staging entered, and 31 patients (21 training, 10 control) had outcome data.
                Postural instability of patients with Parkinson's disease was assessed using the motor component of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Berg Balance Test, Dynamic Gait Index and Falls Efficacy Scale. Twenty-one patients with Parkinson's disease participated in an eight-week exercise programme using incremental speed-dependent treadmill training. Before and after the training programme, balance, gait, fear of falling and walking distance and speed on treadmill were assessed in both Parkinson's disease groups.
                Walking distance and speed on treadmill, UPDRS, Berg Balance Test, Dynamic Gait Index and Falls Efficacy Scale.
                Initial total walking distance of the training group on treadmill was 266.45 +/- 82.14 m and this was progressively increased to 726.36 +/- 93.1 m after 16 training session (P < 0.001). Tolerated maximum speed of the training group on treadmill at baseline was 1.9 +/- 0.75 km/h and improved to 2.61 +/- 0.77 km/h (P < 0.001). Berg Balance Test, Dynamic Gait Index and Falls Efficacy Scale scores of the training group were improved significantly after the training programme (P < 0.01). There was no significant improvement in any of the outcome measurements in the control group (P > 0.05).
                Specific exercise programmes using incremental speed-dependent treadmill training may improve mobility, reduce postural instability and fear of falling in patients with Parkinson's disease. To test whether body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) is effective in improving functional outcome of patients with Parkinson's disease.
                Prospective crossover trial. Patients were randomized to receive either a 4-week program of BWSTT with up to 20% of their body weight supported followed by 4 weeks of conventional physical therapy (PT), or the same treatments in the opposite order. Medications for parkinsonism were not modified throughout the study.
                Inpatient rehabilitation unit for neurologic diseases.
                Ten patients (5 men, 5 women) with Hoehn and Yahr stage 2.5 or 3 parkinsonism; mean age 67.6 years, mean duration of Parkinson's disease 4.2 years.
                The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), ambulation endurance and speed (sec/10 m), and number of steps for 10-meter walk.
                The mean total UPDRS before/after BWSTT was 31.6/25.6, and before/after PT was 29.1/28.0. Analysis of covariance for improvement of UPDRS demonstrated a significant effect of type of therapy (F(1, 16) = 42.779, p < .0001) but not order of therapy (F(1, 16) = 0.157, p = .697 1). Patients also had significantly greater improvement with BWSTT than with PT in ambulation speed (BWSTT, before/after = 10.0/8.3; PT, 9.5/8.9), and number of steps (BWSTT, 22.3/19.6; PT, 21.5/20.8).
                In persons with Parkinson's disease, treadmill training with body weight support produces greater improvement in activities of daily living, motor performance, and ambulation than does physical therapy. To assess immediate and near-term effects of an instructional set on select gait parameters in people living with Parkinson disease (PD).
                Five individuals with early stage PD participated in a within subject design in Part One. Eleven individuals with early stage PD were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 5) or a control group (n = 6) in Part Two.
                The treatment consisted of a 10-day training program of walking 1800 feet per day and with the instructions to take long steps. Testing occurred before treatment (baseline), immediately after treatment, one week after treatment, and one month after treatment. Measurements of step length, velocity, and cadence were taken without the use of the instructional set.
                There was a significant increase in step length and velocity and a significant decrease in cadence between baseline and all post-test measures for part one. For part 2, step length of the treatment group significantly increased between baseline and all 3 post-tests and there was a significant difference between the treatment group and control group at all posttests for step length.
                The instructional set was effective in improving parameters of gait for at least 4 weeks. These data support the concept that people with Parkinson disease have a potential for motor learning. To obtain preliminary data on the effects of high-intensity exercise on functional performance in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) relative to exercise at low and no intensity and to determine whether improved performance is accompanied by alterations in corticomotor excitability as measured through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
                Cohort (prospective), randomized controlled trial.
                University-based clinical and research facilities.
                Thirty people with PD, within 3 years of diagnosis with Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 or 2.
                Subjects were randomized to high-intensity exercise using body weight-supported treadmill training, low-intensity exercise, or a zero-intensity education group. Subjects in the 2 exercise groups completed 24 exercise sessions over 8 weeks. Subjects in the zero-intensity group completed 6 education classes over 8 weeks.
                Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scales (UPDRS), biomechanic analysis of self-selected and fast walking and sit-to-stand tasks; corticomotor excitability was assessed with cortical silent period (CSP) durations in response to single-pulse TMS.
                A small improvement in total and motor UPDRS was observed in all groups. High-intensity group subjects showed postexercise increases in gait speed, step and stride length, and hip and ankle joint excursion during self-selected and fast gait and improved weight distribution during sit-to-stand tasks. Improvements in gait and sit-to-stand measures were not consistently observed in low- and zero-intensity groups. The high-intensity group showed lengthening in CSP.
                The findings suggest the dose-dependent benefits of exercise and that high-intensity exercise can normalize corticomotor excitability in early PD. Frequent falls and risk of injury are evident in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) as the disease progresses. There have been no reports of any interventions that reduce the incidence of falls in idiopathic PD.
                Assess the benefit of gait and step perturbation training in individuals with PD.
                Randomized, controlled trial.
                Outpatient research, education and clinical center in a tertiary care Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
                Gait parameters, 5-step test, report of falls.
                Eighteen men with idiopathic PD in stage 2 or 3 of the Hoehn and Yahr staging.
                Subjects were randomly assigned to a trained or control group. They were asked about any falls 2 weeks prior to and after an 8 week period. Gait speed, cadence, and step length were tested on an instrumented walkway. Subjects were timed while stepping onto and back down from an 8.8 cm step for 5 consecutive steps. Gait training consisted of walking on a treadmill at a speed greater than over ground walking speed while walking in 4 directions and while supported in a harness for safety. Step training consisted of suddenly turning the treadmill on and off while the subject stood in the safety harness facing either forwards, backwards, or sideways. Training occurred 1 hour per day, three times per week for 8 weeks. A two-factor (time and group) analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare the groups.
                Substantial reduction occurred in falls in the trained group, but not in the control group. Gait speed increased in the trained group from 1.28+/-0.33 meters/sec to 1.45+/-0.37 meters/sec, but not in the control group (from 1.26 to 1.27 m/s). The cadence increased for both groups: from 112.8 to 120.3 steps/min for the trained group and 117.7 to 124.3 steps/min for the control group. Stride lengths increased for the trained group, but not the control group. The 5-step test speed increased in the trained group from 0.40+/-0.08 steps/sec to 0.51+/-0.12 steps/sec, and in the control group (0.36+/-0.11 steps/sec to 0.42+/-0.11 steps/sec).
                Gait and step perturbation training resulted in a reduction in falls and improvements in gait and dynamic balance. This is a promising approach to reduce falls for patients with PD. To investigate whether body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) is of long-term benefit for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
                Randomized controlled trial.
                Inpatient rehabilitation unit for neurologic diseases in Japan.
                Twenty-four patients (Hoehn and Yahr stages 2.5 or 3) who were not demented (Mini-Mental State Examination score, >27).
                Patients were randomized to receive either a 45-minute session of BWSTT (up to 20% of body weight supported) or conventional physical therapy (PT) for 3 days a week for 1 month.
                Outcome measures were evaluated at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months. Measures included the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), ambulation speed (s/10 m), and number of steps taken for a 10-m walk as a parameter for stride length.
                Four patients needed modification of medications in the follow-up period. Twenty patients (BWSTT, n=11; PT, n=9) without modified medications were analyzed for functional outcome. Age, duration of PD, gender, and doses of medications were comparable. There was no difference in the baseline UPDRS (BWSTT=33.3; PT=32.6), speed (BWSTT=10.8; PT=11.5), and steps (BWSTT=23.4; PT=22.8). The BWSTT group had significantly greater improvement than the PT group (Mann-Whitney U test, Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparison) in ambulation speed at 1 month (BWSTT=8.5; PT=10.8; P<.005); and in the number of steps at 1 (BWSTT=20.0; PT=22.7; P<.005), 2 (BWSTT=19.5; PT=22.4; P<.005), 3 (BWSTT=20.1; PT=23.1; P<.005), and 4 months (BWSTT=21.0; PT=23.0; P=.006).
                BWSTT has a lasting effect specifically on short-step gait in PD.
                Copyright 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Patients with Parkinson's disease who receive treadmill training are more likely to improve their impaired gait hypokinesia. However, the results must be interpreted with caution because there were variations between the trials in patient characteristics, the duration and amount of training, and types of treatment. Additionally, it is not known how long these improvements may last.