The effect of a longer period of exercise in people with Parkinsons disease

Nov. 18, 2015

Short-term exercise interventions have been shown to benefit health and wellbeing and reduce motor and non motor symptoms in the short term in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Exercise over a longer period of time may reduce the impact of disability for people with PD but the effect of longer-term exercise has not been established. People with PD tend to have low activity levels and reduce their physical activity over time. To achieve an ongoing active lifestyle people with PD will need to be able to use community facilities. However, people with PD report feeling deterred from using community exercise schemes. As such it is unsurprising that people with PD are observed to have low levels of physical activity and participation in exercise despite expressing a desire to be active. With the help of fitness professionals, people with PD and NHS clinicians we have developed a community exercise programme for people with PD.

We propose to study: People with Parkinson’s disease who are able to walk 100m    How we would undertake the investigation: Participants will be recruited from neurology services in Oxfordshire and Reading. We will randomly assign participants into one of two groups –a community exercise programme group or to a comparison control group who will perform a hand writing programme. The exercise programme will be supported from current PD NHS services and delivered in community fitness centres and gyms by a fitness professional supported by a physiotherapist and patient information materials.    How we would evaluate the study: Recruited patients will be monitored at entry to the study and at three, six, and twelve months. We will evaluate the effect of the exercise programme on PD motor and non motorsymptoms, fitness, health and wellbeing. We will ask participants their views on the process and service.    Expected outcome: We will determine the effect of exercising for a longer period of time and if further investigations are needed.

http://www.mymedclinic.info/2015/11/18/the-effect-of-a-longer-period-of-exercise-in-people-with-parkinsons-disease/