Session Information
Date: Saturday, October 6, 2018
Session Title: Parkinson’s Disease: Clinical Trials, Pharmacology And Treatment
Session Time: 1:45pm-3:15pm
Location: Hall 3FG
Objective: To measure the outcomes of a six week, twice weekly, home physiotherapy exercise and falls education program on falls, mobility and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Worldwide, there is a shift away from hospitalisation, towards home based therapy for people with chronic diseases. The dosage of home based physiotherapy to achieve positive outcomes in PD is untested.
Methods: We conducted a randomized trial of 133 people living in their own homes with idiopathic Parkinson’s. Participants were randomly allocated to a 6-week exercise group receiving strategy training, strength training and falls education, or a 6-week control group. The control participants received a non-specific program of games and general information. Each group had weekly sessions led by a physiotherapist or trained clinician plus a self-guided home program once per week. Falls over 12 months were the main outcome. Mobility and quality of life were secondary outcomes.
Results: We recorded over 2200 falls over the year following therapy. No statistically significant differences in slips, trips or falls occurred for the two groups (IRR 1.6, 95% CI 0.7-3.4) (Morris et al., 2017). The survival analysis for the time to first fall was also comparable (log-rank test χ2 = 0.79, p =.37) (Morris et al., 2017). Between-group differences were negligible for disability and quality of life.
Conclusions: Providing people with PD with 6 weeks of home-based physiotherapy did not change falls rates or mobility outcomes compared to a control group. The dosage was arguably not enough to provide people with PD with sufficient practice for motor learning or falls prevention.
References: Morris, M. E., Taylor, N. F., Menz, H. B. et al. (2017). A home program of strength training, movement strategy training and education did not prevent falls in people with Parkinson’s disease: a randomised trial. Journal Physiotherapy, 63(2), 94-100.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
M. Morris, N. Taylor, J. McGinley, M. Danoudis, H. Menz. Home based exercises to reduce falls in people with Parkinson’s disease: A randomized trial [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2018; 33 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/home-based-exercises-to-reduce-falls-in-people-with-parkinsons-disease-a-randomized-trial/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2018 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/home-based-exercises-to-reduce-falls-in-people-with-parkinsons-disease-a-randomized-trial/