Article

Previous studies have shown that people with Parkinson's disease (PD) benefit
from a variety of exercise modalities with respect to symptom management and
function. Among the possible exercise modalities, speedwork has been identified
as a promising strategy, with direct implications for the rate and amplitude of
nervous system involvement. Considering that previous speed-based exercise for PD
has often been equipment, personnel and/or facility dependent, and often time
intensive, our purpose was to develop a population-specific exercise program that
could be self-administered with equipment that is readily found in fitness
centers or perhaps the home. Fourteen individuals with PD (Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage
of 3.0 or less) participated in twelve 30-min sessions of low-resistance interval
training on a stationary recumbent bicycle. Motor examination section of the
Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), 10-meter walk (10mW),
timed-up-and-go (TUG), functional reach, four-square step test (4SST), nine-hole
peg test (9HPT) and simple reaction time scores all exhibited significant
improvements (p < 0.05). These results add further support to the practice of
speedwork for people with PD and outline a population-amenable program with high
feasibility.

Langue : ANGLAIS