Article

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by
loss of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons. Several studies have investigated
various physical interventions on PD. The effects of a high intensity exercise
program with focus on resistance; cardio; equilibrium; and flexibility training
have not been evaluated previously. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a complex, high intensity physical training program,
with a long duration, on motor and non-motor symptoms in patients with PD.
METHOD: 24 patients with PD Hoehn and Yahr stage 1-3 were non-randomly allocated
to an intervention group (n = 12) and a control group (n = 12). The intervention
group underwent 32 weeks of high intensity personalized physical training twice a
week, with an optional extra training session once a week. The control group
received general recommendations regarding physical activity. The primary
outcomes were the change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Subscores
(UPDRS) and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). RESULTS: At week 32,
the training significantly improved both UPDRS motor subscores (p = 0.045),
activities of daily living subscores (ADL) (p = 0.006), mentation subscores (p =
0.004) and complication subscores (p = 0.019). The effect on the PDQ39 total
score was not statistically significant. The intervention group however
experienced a substantial improvement of the PDQ39 items emotional well-being
(-11.0) and bodily discomfort (-7.14). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a
personal high intensity exercise program may favorably influence both motor and
non-motor symptoms in patients with mild to moderate PD. More studies with both
higher methodology in study design and a follow-up examination are recommended.

Langue : ANGLAIS