Objective: Aim of investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy intervention compared with no intervention in patients with PD.

Background: In spite of various medical and surgical treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD), patients gradually develop significant physical problems. Physiotherapists aim to enable people with PD to maintain their maximum level of mobility, activity, and independence by monitoring their condition and targeting appropriate treatment. A range of approaches to movement rehabilitation are used, which aim to enhance quality of life by maximising physical ability and minimising problems related to Parkinson’s over the whole course of the disease.

Methods: We investigated 29 patients with Parkinson’s disease and vascular parkinsonism during the 3 years at neurology department of Tashkent Medical Academy to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy intervention compared with no physiotherapy intervention. Procedures were classified into the following intervention comparisons: general physiotherapy, exercise, treadmill training, cueing, dance, and martial arts. We used tests for heterogeneity to assess for differences in treatment effect across these different physiotherapy interventions.

Results: Compared with no intervention, physiotherapy significantly improved the gait outcomes of speed (mean difference 0.04 m/s, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02 to 0.06, P = 0.0002); two- or six-minute walk test (13.37 m, 95% CI 0.55 to 26.20, P = 0.04); functional mobility and balance outcomes of Timed Up & Go test (-0.63 s, 95% CI -1.05 to -0.21, P = 0.003) and clinician-rated disability using the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). No difference between arms was noted in falls (Falls Efficacy Scale: -1.91 points, 95% CI -4.76 to 0.94, P = 0.19) or patient-rated quality of life (PDQ-39 Summary Index: -0.38 points, 95% CI -2.58 to 1.81, P = 0.73).

Conclusions: Benefit for physiotherapy was found in most outcomes over the short term (i.e. < 3 months) but was significant only for speed, two- or six-minute walk test and clinician-rated UPDRS. Most of the observed differences between treatments were small.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/is-physiotherapy-an-effective-for-treatment-of-parkinsons-disease/