J Clin Neurol.  2013 Oct;9(4):237-243. 10.3988/jcn.2013.9.4.237.

The Efficacy of Exercise Programs for Parkinson's Disease: Tai Chi versus Combined Exercise

• Cheon SM
• Chae BK
• Sung HR
• Lee GC
• Kim JW

• KMID: 1980543
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3988/jcn.2013.9.4.237

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Exercise is recommended for every patient with Parkinson's disease (PD). The effectiveness of two different forms of exercise for PD, Tai Chi and combined stretching-strengthening exercise, was compared.
METHODS
Patients with mild-to-moderate PD were recruited to join either the combined stretching-strengthening exercise group (n=7), the Tai Chi group (n=9), or the control (nonintervention) group (n=7). Exercise was performed three times a week over a period of 8 weeks. The Tai Chi exercise was led by certified instructors based on a Tai-Chi-for-arthritis program. The combined stretching-strengthening exercise comprised folk dancing, stepping, and elastic-band exercises. The subjects' functional fitness, parkinsonian symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and depression were evaluated.
RESULTS
Both exercise groups yielded better results in their overall functional fitness after the intervention. However, no improvement with exercise was found for parkinsonian symptoms, as evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. With respect to the domains of QoL, the combined stretching-strengthening exercise group fared better in the social domain of QoL, and the Tai Chi group fared better in the emotional domain, while QoL and depression worsened in the control group. The postintervention QoL was improved relative to the control condition only for the Tai Chi group. Although the exercise interventions did not have any effect on depression, the control group was associated with a significant deterioration.
CONCLUSIONS
Exercise improved the functional fitness and QoL of PD patients, with Tai Chi yielding better results in QoL and favorable results in functional fitness. These findings suggest that Tai Chi could be a good exercise strategy for patients with PD.

Keyword

Parkinson's disease; exercise; Tai Chi; quality of life

MeSH Terms

Dancing
Depression
Exercise
Humans
Parkinson Disease*
Quality of Life
Tai Ji*

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