Effects Of 24-week Wuqinxi Intervention On Posture Control Ability Of Patients With Parkinson’S Disease

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was to determine the effects of 24-week’s Wuqinxi routine on posture control ability in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). METHODS: A randomized, controlled trial design was used in this study. Forty-six patients (23 women) with stage 1 through 3 Parkinson’s on the Hoehn and Yahr staging scale were randomly assigned into a Wuqinxi training group or a stretching group. All participants practiced 60-minute exercise sessions twice weekly for 24 weeks. The NeuroCom Balance Manager System was used to assess Limit of Stability and Unilateral Stance. Limit of Stability (LOS) is a test that evaluates the movement of the center of gravity on a test platform to the farthest boundary that can be achieved. Limit Of Stability was performed to assess posture control ability, along with the standing time of Unilateral Stance and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS)III scores before and after the 24-week exercise interventions. Mixed-model (group by time) Repeated measures ANOVAs using SPSS 24.0 were conducted to determine the differences in balance ability between the Qigong and Wuqinxi groups before and after the intervention. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: After 24 weeks of exercise intervention, PD patients in the Wuqinxi group showed a significant increase in forward maximum excursion and endpoint excursion.(Table 1) CONCLUSIONS: After 24 weeks of exercise intervention, the posture control ability of patients with Parkinson's disease in the Wuqinxi group was significantly improved and it has already been appeared after the 12th week.