Aerobic Exercise for Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough some trials assessed the effectiveness of aerobic exercise for Parkinson's disease (PD), the role of aerobic exercise in the management of PD remained controversial.ObjectiveThe purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the evidence about whether aerobic exercise is effective for PD.MethodsSeven electronic databases, up to December 2013, were searched to identify relevant studies. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality based on PEDro scale. Standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of random-effects model were calculated. And heterogeneity was assessed based on the I2 statistic.Results18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 901 patients were eligible. The aggregated results suggested that aerobic exercise should show superior effects in improving motor actions (SMD, −0.57; 95% CI −0.94 to −0.19; p = 0.003), balance (SMD, 2.02; 95% CI 0.45 to 3.59; p = 0.01), and gait (SMD, 0.33; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.49; p<0.0001) in patients with PD, but not in quality of life (SMD, 0.11; 95% CI −0.23 to 0.46; p = 0.52). And there was no valid evidence on follow-up effects of aerobic exercise for PD.ConclusionAerobic exercise showed immediate beneficial effects in improving motor action, balance, and gait in patients with PD. However, given no evidence on follow-up effects, large-scale RCTs with long follow-up are warrant to confirm the current findings.

Physical therapy and occupational therapy in Parkinson's disease

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“…Other recently published meta-analyses focused on specific types of exercise, showing improvements in measures of postural stability in individuals with PD after performing tai chi, 18 dancing, 19 or aerobic exercises. 20 Furthermore, on the basis of their literature review, Canning et al 21 recommend to promote exercise for falls prevention in persons with PD, especially challenging balance exercises in a supervised setting. In a meta-analysis from 2011, Allen et al 22 summarized the effect of exercise therapy on balancerelated activities and falls in people with PD.…”

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