Treadmill improves movement in Parkinson’s

Treadmill training improves gait hypokinesia in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients but it is not known how long these improvements may last, a Cochrane review finds. “Gait hypokinesia is directly attributed to an inability to generate sufficiently large steps. Therefore, improvements of walking speed and stride length are the primary goals of gait therapy in patients with PD,” they study authors wrote. Drawing from eight trials including 203 patients with PD, gait speed was improved by 50% in patients who undertook treadmill training. Patients in the training groups also reported improved walking distance (358m) and stride length (P=0.05) by the end of the study period, however, treadmill training did not improve cadence in patients with PD. The study authors noted that because the evidence is based on only eight small studies, there is still need for large-scale studies to evaluate benefits and harms of treadmill training in patients with PD. “Though there is evidence that the use of treadmill training in patients with PD may improve gait parameters, this apparent benefit for patients is not supported by all secondary variables. Further research should address specific questions about duration of effect, frequency and duration of treadmill training,” they concluded. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews...