scholarly journals A Mobile Phone App-Based Tai Chi Training in Parkinson's Disease: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Gao ◽  
Keneilwe Kenny Kaudimba ◽  
Jiaxin Cai ◽  
Yao Tong ◽  
Qianqian Tian ◽  
...  

Introduction: With an increasing number of China's aging population, Parkinson's disease (PD) increases year by year. Persons with PD exhibit abnormal balance functions, leading to motor skills difficulties, such as unstable walking or even falling. Therefore, activities of daily living and quality of life are affected. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of Tai Chi training based on the mobile phone app in improving the balance ability of persons with PD.Methods and Analysis: A randomized, single-blind, parallel controlled trial will be conducted in this study. One hundred forty-four persons with PD who meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly divided into a 1:1:1 ratio: (1) control group, (2) basic experimental group (basic app with no Tai Chi training features), and (3) balanced-enhanced experimental group (basic app with Tai Chi training features). Individuals with PD will be evaluated on balance and motor function outcomes. The primary outcome measure is the limits of stability (including the maximum excursion and direction control); the secondary outcome measures include the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS-III), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Functional Reach Test (FRT), Timed Up & Go (TUG), 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Each group of patients will go through an assessment at baseline, 17 and 33 weeks.Discussion: This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the mobile phone app Tai Chi training on the balance function of persons with PD. We assume that a challenging Tai Chi project based on a mobile phone app will improve balance in the short and long term. As walking stability progresses, it is expected that daily activities and quality of life improve. These findings will be used to improve the effectiveness of future home management measures for persons with PD.Ethics and Dissemination: This study has been approved by the ethical review committee of the Shanghai University of Sport (approval number: 102772019RT056). Informed consent will be obtained from all participants or their guardians. The authors intend to submit the study findings to peer-reviewed journals or academic conferences to be published.Clinical Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000029135).

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoela de Paula Ferreira ◽  
Adriano Zanardi da Silva ◽  
Bruna Yamaguchi ◽  
Sunita Mathur ◽  
Taina Ribas Melo ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Many people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have never received rehabilitation care due to lack of accessibility and transportation and high therapy costs for in-person rehabilitation. Home-based dance exercise is an innovative, low-cost therapy that may reduce accessibility barriers to exercise. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, home-exercise programs are a highly relevant, alternative approach for people with PD OBJECTIVE This clinical trial protocol aims to explore the effects of a Home-Based contemporary dance exercise program for people with moderate Parkinson’s Disease (PD), focusing on balance, functional mobility, quality of life (QOL), cognitive function, and depression. METHODS This protocol is for a non-randomized clinical trial for adults with moderate PD divided into control group (CG) and Experimental Group (EG). Participants from the EG will perform video-dances of the contemporary dance, delivered in a DVD format. The video-dances will be executed 16 weeks, three times per week, 30 minutes each day at home, with exercise intensity controlled by the BORG scale. Participants from the CG will not receive any new exercise therapy. As primary outcomes, the signs and symptoms of the PD assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale – UPDRS II and III, Hoehn and Yahr for the PD severity, and health-related quality of life (HRQL), measured by the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire – PDQ-39) will be tested. Secondary outcomes include cognitive function by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment – MoCA, balance by the Mini-BESTest, functional mobility by the Timed “Up and Go” test – TUG and depression by the Geriatric Depression Scale – GDS. All outcomes will be assessed in an in-person evaluation by a blinded assessor before and after the 16 weeks of the program. RESULTS This protocol has a pilot study that included 10 participants (5 in each group). It was observed positive results favoring the EG over cognitive function (p = 0.034). In addition, HRQL, balance, and depression were improved after the pilot program in the EG, however, without significant difference. CONCLUSIONS This clinical trial has the potential to be a safe alternative exercise approach under COVID restrictions and travel-free therapy with effects on PD symptoms. CLINICALTRIAL RBR-58T68W (Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry)


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oznur Fidan ◽  
Gulce Kallem Seyyar ◽  
Bahar Aras ◽  
Ertugrul Colak ◽  
Ozgen Aras

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina TILLMANN ◽  
Alessandra SWAROWSKY ◽  
Clynton Lourenço CORRÊA ◽  
Alexandro ANDRADE ◽  
Jéssica MORATELLI ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: New protocols applied in the rehabilitation of Parkinson's disease enable different action strategies for health professionals, as well as a new range of activities for these individuals. However, no valid samba protocol with activity prescription for this population was found in the literature. Objective: To investigate the feasibility of a Brazilian samba protocol in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Twenty participants, mean age of 66.4±10.7 years, diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson 's disease, divided into: experimental group that received the intervention of Brazilian samba dance classes (10 individuals); and control group that maintained their routine activities (10 individuals). For data collection, a divided questionnaire was used: General Information; Disability stages scale; Balance and Quality of Life. Results: During class implementation, there were no falls, as all dance activities adhered to the details of the protocol steps without any changes. On average, patients completed 82.7% of activities. After 12 weeks, the experimental group had improvements in the UPDRS global score, in daily activities, and on motor examination. There was also improvement in balance scores and in the mobility domain of the quality of life in the experimental group. Conclusion: The samba protocol seems to be feasible and safe for patients with PD. Moreover, it has pleasant characteristics and offers sufficient physical benefits for combination with drug treatment. There were also benefits in social relationships and as a possible rehabilitation tool in individuals with Parkinson's disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renyan Ma ◽  
Yuning Hou ◽  
Yiyin Zhang ◽  
Muyang He ◽  
Song Gao ◽  
...  

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that seriously impairs patients' quality of life, and increases the burden of patients and caregivers. Both drugs and exercise can alleviate its motor and non-motor symptoms, improving the quality of life for PD patients. Telehealth, an increasingly popular tool, makes rehabilitation accessible at home, overcoming the inconvenience of traffic and scheduling. Care-PD is a phone application designed for rehabilitation training, which provides Tai Chi and stretching exercises through tutorial videos as well as an online evaluation system. In this protocol, we will explore the efficacy of Tai Chi and stretching exercises as a PD rehabilitation therapy based on the smartphone application Care-PD.Methods and Analysis: A double-blind, parallel randomized controlled trial will be conducted in this study. The recruitment, intervention, and evaluation processes will be implemented through the Care-PD application. Persons with PD will fill out questionnaires on Activities of Daily Living (ADL), upload the latest case report, and sign the informed consent form in the application. Afterward, doctors and researchers will screen and enroll 180 participants who will be randomly (1:1:1) assigned to Tai Chi group, stretching exercises group, or control group. The subjects will participate in a 1-h exercise session three times per week for 12 weeks, ending with another 4 weeks of follow-up study. Each exercise session includes 10 min of warm-up, 45 min of exercise, and 5 min of cool-down. The primary outcomes are Motor Aspects of Experiences of Daily Living and the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire. The secondary outcomes include the 9-item Wearing-Off Questionnaire, the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire, the Caregiver Strain Index, Non-motor Experiences of Daily Living, ADL, and Morse Fall Scale. All assessments will be performed at baseline, week 12 and 16.Discussion: Care-PD integrates subject recruitment, intervention, and evaluation, providing a new perspective on clinical rehabilitation for persons with PD. This study will evaluate the efficacy of Tai Chi and stretching exercises on patients' quality of life and disease progression based on a smartphone application. We aim to provide a new rehabilitation training platform for persons with PD.Ethics and Dissemination: This study was approved by the Scientific Research Ethics Committee (102772020RT132) of Shanghai University of Sport. Data collection begins after the approval of the ethics committee. The participants must sign an informed consent form before enrollment. The results will be published in relevant journals, seminars, and be disseminated among rehabilitation practitioners and patients with PD.Clinical Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier [ChiCTR2100042096]. Registered on January 13, 2021.


Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai Huey Tan ◽  
Shen-Yang Lim ◽  
Kah Kian Chong ◽  
Mohammad Addin Azhan A Manap ◽  
Jia Wei Hor ◽  
...  

Objective:To determine whether probiotics are effective for constipation, a common and often difficult-to-treat problem, in Parkinson’s disease (PD).Methods:In this double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled single-centre trial, 280 PD patients were screened and 72 eligible patients were block-randomized (1:1) to receive either multi-strain probiotics capsules (n=34), or identical-appearing placebo (n=38), for four weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in the average number of spontaneous bowel movements (SBM) per week during the last two weeks of intervention, compared with the two-week pre-intervention phase, recorded by daily stool diary. Secondary outcome measures included changes in stool consistency, constipation severity score, and quality of life related to constipation. Satisfaction with intervention received was assessed. Change in levels of fecal calprotectin, a marker of intestinal inflammation, was an exploratory outcome.Results:SBM increased by 1.0±1.2/week after treatment with probiotics, and decreased by 0.3±1.0/week in the placebo group (mean difference 1.3, 95%CI: 0.8-1.8, P<0.001). Significant improvements were also seen for secondary outcomes after correction for multiple comparisons, including stool consistency (P=0.009) and quality of life related to constipation (P=0.001). In the treatment group, 65.6% reported satisfaction with the intervention, vs. only 21.6% in the placebo group (P<0.001). One patient (2.9%) in the treatment group withdrew due to a non-serious adverse event. Fecal calprotectin did not change significantly during the study.Conclusions:Multi-strain probiotics treatment was effective for constipation in PD. Further studies are needed to investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of probiotics in PD, as well as their mechanisms of action.Classification of evidence:This study provides Class I evidence that for people with PD, multi-strain probiotics significantly increased the average number of spontaneous bowel movements per week.Clinicaltrials.gov identifier:NCT03377322


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhaila Mahmoud Smaili ◽  
Maria Eduarda Brandão Bueno ◽  
Natália Mariano Barboza ◽  
Marcelle Brandão Terra ◽  
Isabela Andrelino de Almeida ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Xing Yu ◽  
Xinze Wu ◽  
Guozhen Hou ◽  
Peipei Han ◽  
Liying Jiang ◽  
...  

Objective. Parkinson’s disease adversely affects function and quality of life, leading to increased mortality. The practice of Tai Chi has been associated with multifaceted improvements in health-related fitness. Considering the limited number of clinical studies included in previous reviews, inconsistent methodological quality, and inconclusive results, this meta-analysis aims to assess the effects of Tai Chi in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Method. Four English language databases and four Chinese databases were systematically searched for existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tai Chi in Parkinson’s disease from database inception through August 1, 2020. Methodological quality was appraised with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis of comparative effects was performed using the Review Manager v.5.3 software. Results. Seventeen published RCTs totaling 951 subjects were included. Results showed that Tai Chi has a statistically significant effect on the outcomes of gait velocity, unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS) motor score, activities-specific balance confidence (ABC) score, and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The effects on the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) were not statistically significant. Conclusions. This systematic review and meta-analysis of Parkinson’s disease and Tai Chi suggests Tai Chi is a relatively safe activity that can result in gains in general motor function and improve bradykinesia and balance. It has no statistically significant advantage for quality of life and functional mobility. Further randomized trials with larger sample sizes and of higher methodological quality are needed to confirm these results and to assess the feasibility of Tai Chi intervention for potential different clinical applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59
Author(s):  
Nariana Mattos Figueiredo Sousa ◽  
Ana Cristina da Mata Neri ◽  
Ivar Viana Brandi ◽  
Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki

ABSTRACT. Pharmacological treatments for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are lacking, and alternative approaches have been implemented, including cognitive training (CT). Objective: To determine the impact of CT on cognitive and quality of life measures in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who were seen a hospital neurorehabilitation program. Methods: Thirty-nine individuals with MCI-PD, according to the Movement Disorder Society, were randomly distributed into two groups: experimental and control group, matched for demographic and clinical characteristics. Both groups were assessed for cognition and quality of life at the beginning of the study and at the end of the intervention protocol. The following instruments were used to assess cognition and quality of life: Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III, Digit Span, Trail Making Test (TMT, A and B) and Parkinson disease quality of life questionnaire. The experimental group (EG) engaged in CT, whereas the control group (CG) underwent activities of the general rehabilitation program. Results: No baseline evaluation differences were found. Intergroup analysis showed differences in measures, such as total score (1.977, p=0.0480) and visuospatial domain (-2.636, p=0.0084) of the ACE-III, with the EG performing better, in addition to better performance in TMT-B mistakes (-1.928, p=0.0439). Intragroup analysis revealed that the EG showed significant improvement in almost all the cognitive variables, well as in self-reported quality of life (total score and mobility, activities of daily living, body discomfort dimensions). Conclusions: Engagement in cognitive activities was associated with better cognitive abilities in PD-MCI. Future studies should consider the long-term effect of this type of intervention and impact on functional activities.


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