Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Effects of Highly Challenging Balance Training in Elderly With Parkinson’s Disease

The exact same research should be done for stroke. My way to make it highly challenging is to have it take place in a bar with the high stools on a Friday night so it is crowded. Have 2-3 drinks while sitting on the stools. Then walk thru the crowd to the bathroom. I guarantee that will be highly challenging. Don't you dare listen to me even though your doctor has no idea how to get you recovered.
http://nnr.sagepub.com/content/29/9/827?etoc

A Randomized Controlled Trial

  1. David Conradsson, MSc1,2
  2. Niklas Löfgren, MSc1
  3. Håkan Nero, MSc1
  4. Maria Hagströmer, PhD1,2
  5. Agneta Ståhle, PhD1,2
  6. Johan Lökk, PhD1,2
  7. Erika Franzén, PhD1,2
  1. 1Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  2. 2Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
  1. David Conradsson and Erika Franzén, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Division of Physiotherapy, 23100, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden. Email: David.Conradsson.1@ki.se and Erika.Franzen@ki.se

Abstract

Background. Highly challenging exercises have been suggested to induce neuroplasticity in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD); however, its effect on clinical outcomes remains largely unknown.  
Objective. To evaluate the short-term effects of the HiBalance program, a highly challenging balance-training regimen that incorporates both dual-tasking and PD-specific balance components, compared with usual care in elderly with mild to moderate PD. Methods. Participants with PD (n = 100) were randomized, either to the 10-week HiBalance program (n = 51) or to the control group (n = 49). Participants were evaluated before and after the intervention. The main outcomes were balance performance (Mini-BESTest), gait velocity (during normal and dual-task gait), and concerns about falling (Falls Efficacy Scale–International). Performance of a cognitive task while walking, physical activity level (average steps per day), and activities of daily living were secondary outcomes.  
Results. A total of 91 participants completed the study. After the intervention, the between group comparison showed significantly improved balance and gait performance in the training group. Moreover, although no significant between group difference was observed regarding gait performance during dual-tasking; the participants in the training group improved their performance of the cognitive task while walking, as compared with the control group. Regarding physical activity levels and activities of daily living, in comparison to the control group, favorable results were found for the training group. No group differences were found for concerns about falling.  
Conclusions. The HiBalance program significantly benefited balance and gait abilities when compared with usual care and showed promising transfer effects to everyday living. Long-term follow-up assessments will further explore these effects.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).


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1 comment:

  1. AmySeptember 27, 2015 at 9:06 AM

    You know what's so weird? All these studies that you find on Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimer's, they're all progressive illnesses. You get worse and worse then you die. Strokes are just the opposite, you get better and better. You'd think they'd want to put more money and effort into researching a disease that has guaranteed better outcomes. But I guess they figure since we survived and we're not guaranteed death from this........my blood is starting to boil. 😕

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