Article

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether a specific land-based physical intervention with
the inclusion of aquatic therapy is more effective than land-based rehabilitation
alone for the treatment of balance dysfunction in patients with Parkinson disease
(PD), immediately after therapy and at 6 months' follow-up. DESIGN: Randomized
controlled study with 6-month follow-up. SETTING: A PD and brain injury
rehabilitation department in a general hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=34)
with moderate-stage PD. INTERVENTION: Seventeen patients underwent a land-based
rehabilitation protocol called multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation
treatment (MIRT), and 17 underwent MIRT plus aquatic therapy (MIRT-AT). MAIN
OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the Berg Balance Scale (BBS);
secondary outcome measures were the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale parts
II and III (UPDRS II/III) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. These measures were
assessed in both groups at admission, at discharge, and after 6 months. RESULTS:
BBS improved after treatment in both groups. Even though no statistically
significant difference between groups was observed at each observation time, BBS
scores at follow-up were significantly higher than at baseline in MIRT-AT
patients. Both groups also showed an improvement in UPDRS II/III and TUG at the
end of treatment compared with baseline, but these findings were lost at the
6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Aquatic therapy added to land-based
rehabilitation could provide a contribution to the treatment of balance
dysfunction in patients with moderate-stage PD.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS