Exercise may improve balance on Parkinson patients

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease can harm the functional capacity of a person, which may lead to a worse motor coordination and balance, increasing the risk of falls, and consequently to morbidities or even death. So, complimentary therapies to the drug therapy as exercise programs the aim to increase coordination and balance may avoid the possible falls that may occur and to increase the life quality for people with this illness. Thus, the present study is aimed to verify the efficiency of a four-week exercise program formed by balance and motor coordination on people living with Parkinson using Berg scale to evaluate it. The subjects were submitted to two sessions each week consisted of exercises divided in three series of 90 seconds, in a total of eight sessions. The Berg scores increase significatively (p = 0,033) from 43,58 ± 6,53 to 46,00 ± 5,22. Since scores less than 45 mean a high probability of falls, it is possible to say that the applied program was effective in increase the balance for these individuals, consequently, leading to a better functional capacity and a possible better life quality.