Effects of Chronic Exercise on Severity, Quality of Life and Functionality in an Elderly Parkinson’s Disease Patient: Case Report

Abstract

Exercise produces potential influences on physical and mental capacity in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, and can be made a viable form of therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). We report the chronic effects of a regular physical exercise protocol on cognitive and motor functions, functional capacity, and symptoms in an elderly PD patient without dementia. The patient participated of a program composed of proprioceptive, aerobic and flexibility exercises, during 1 hour, three days a week, for nine months. Patient used 600 mg of L-DOPA daily, and 1 hour prior to each exercise session. Assessment was conducted in three stages, 0-3, 3-6 and 6 to 9 months, using percentual variation to the scales Hoehn and Yahr, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Parkinson Activity Scale (PAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III). Reassessment showed clear changes in clinical parameters for Hoehn and Yahr (4 to 2.5), MMSE (14 to 22), PAS (13 to 29), BDI (9 to 7) and UPDRS-III (39 to 27) at the end of 9 months. According to our data, exercise seems to be effective in promoting the functional capacity and the maintenance of cognitive and motor functions of PD patients. Regular exercise protocols can be implemented as an adjunctive treatment for reducing the severity of PD.

The Network Model of Depression as a Basis for New Therapeutic Strategies for Treating Major Depressive Disorder in Parkinson’s Disease

“…It is noteworthy that converging evidence support the beneficial effect of physical activity on anxiety, which is frequently associated with depression (Wipfli et al, 2008 ). In addition, a few studies showed that a tailored exercise program is an effective way to improve performance of daily activities and both motor and non-motor symptoms, such as mood, in PD patients (i.e., decrease in Beck Depression Inventory-II score; Cugusi et al, 2014 , 2015 ; Lattari et al, 2014 ).…”

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Depression and Anxiety in Parkinson’s Disease

“…While there is recent literature which has highlighted some promise for other non-pharmacological interventions, such as adapted exercise programs, as yet the data is preliminary. One case study described exercise as reducing depression and improving cognitive and motor functioning [ 13 ], and another open trial with nine PD patients indicated an exercise program resulted in decreased depression and motor symptoms [ 14 ]. Despite the high prevalence of depression and anxiety in PD there is still a lack of controlled trials for both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for depression and anxiety in PD which limits conclusions [ 12 ].…”

Association between exercise type and quality of life in a community-dwelling older people: A cross-sectional study

“…A community-centered muscle strengthening exercise program using an elastic band significantly increased the World Health Organization QoL questionnaire scores of a rural older people [ 9 ]. Exercise can also improve QoL in older individuals with chronic diseases such as stroke [ 10 ], coronary artery disease [ 11 ], chronic heart failure [ 12 ], and Parkinson’s disease [ 13 ].…”