Tuesday 06 April 2010, 10:35AM
PEARLS 235, March 2010, written by Brian R McAvoy
Clinical question
How effective is treadmill training in improving the gait
function of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)?
Bottom line
Treadmill training did improve gait speed, stride length and
walking distance; cadence did not improve. Acceptability of
treadmill training for study participants was good and adverse
events were rare.
Caveat
This review was based on a limited number of small trials, the
largest involving only 54 patients. The results must be interpreted
with caution because there were variations between the trials in
patient characteristics, the duration and amount of training (from
one session of about 30 minutes, to 8 weeks) and types of
treatment. Additionally, it is not known how long these
improvements may last.
Context
The role of treadmill training for people with PD in improving
gait parameters is unclear. Gait hypokinesia is typically one of
the primary movement disorders associated with PD. It is an
important determinant of disability and quality of life for people
with mild to moderate PD. Treadmill training uses specialised
machines to facilitate gait rehabilitation.
Cochrane Systematic Review
Mehrholz J et al. Treadmill training for patients with
ParkinsonÕs disease. Cochrane Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Article No.
CD007830. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007830.pub2. This review contains
8 studies involving 203 participants.