TY - JOUR
T1 - Intensive cycle ergometer training improves gait speed and endurance in patients with Parkinson's disease
T2 - A comparison with treadmill training
AU - Arcolin, Ilaria
AU - Pisano, Fabrizio
AU - Delconte, Carmen
AU - Godi, Marco
AU - Schieppati, Marco
AU - Mezzani, Alessandro
AU - Picco, Daniele
AU - Grasso, Margherita
AU - Nardone, Antonio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/10/30
Y1 - 2015/10/30
N2 - Purpose: Cycle ergometer training improves gait in the elderly, but its effect in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is not completely known. Methods: Twenty-nine PD inpatients were randomized to treadmill (n = 13, PD-T) or cycle ergometer (n = 16, PD-C) training for 3 weeks, 1 hour/day. Outcome measures were distance travelled during the 6-min walking test (6MWT), spatio-temporal variables of gait assessed by baropodometry, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) duration, the balance score through the Mini-BESTest, and the score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Results: Sex, age, body mass index, disease duration, Hoehn-Yahr staging, comorbidity and medication did not differ between groups. At end of training, ANCOVA showed significant improvement, of similar degree, in both groups for 6MWT, speed, step length and cadence of gait, TUG, Mini-BESTest and UPDRS. Conclusions: This pilot study shows that cycle ergometer training improves walking parameters and reduces clinical signs of PD, as much as treadmill training does. Gait velocity is accompanied by step lengthening, making the gait pattern close to that of healthy subjects. Cycle ergometer is a valid alternative to treadmill for improving gait in short term in patients with PD.
AB - Purpose: Cycle ergometer training improves gait in the elderly, but its effect in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is not completely known. Methods: Twenty-nine PD inpatients were randomized to treadmill (n = 13, PD-T) or cycle ergometer (n = 16, PD-C) training for 3 weeks, 1 hour/day. Outcome measures were distance travelled during the 6-min walking test (6MWT), spatio-temporal variables of gait assessed by baropodometry, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) duration, the balance score through the Mini-BESTest, and the score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Results: Sex, age, body mass index, disease duration, Hoehn-Yahr staging, comorbidity and medication did not differ between groups. At end of training, ANCOVA showed significant improvement, of similar degree, in both groups for 6MWT, speed, step length and cadence of gait, TUG, Mini-BESTest and UPDRS. Conclusions: This pilot study shows that cycle ergometer training improves walking parameters and reduces clinical signs of PD, as much as treadmill training does. Gait velocity is accompanied by step lengthening, making the gait pattern close to that of healthy subjects. Cycle ergometer is a valid alternative to treadmill for improving gait in short term in patients with PD.
KW - Aerobic exercise
KW - Balance
KW - Cycle ergometer
KW - Gait
KW - Parkinson's Disease
KW - Treadmill
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84954409033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3233/RNN-150506
DO - 10.3233/RNN-150506
M3 - Article
SN - 0922-6028
VL - 34
SP - 125
EP - 138
JO - Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
JF - Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
IS - 1
ER -