Impact of Rock Climbing on Complex Tasks in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

PURPOSE: Indoor rock climbing (IRC) incorporates a physical component of climbing a wall with a cognitive component of selecting an appropriate climbing route. A climber is required to divide attention between the physical and cognitive demands of the task, a necessary skill in many daily activities. The purpose was to examine the impact of a novel and challenging IRC intervention on complex tasks such as those requiring divided attention in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). METHODS: A pretest, posttest pilot intervention study had participants perform IRC 3 x per week for 8 weeks while increasing climbing duration and technical difficulty. Outcome measures included the Trail Making Part B test, the dual task Timed Up & Go (TUG) manual and cognitive tests, the timed Supine to Stand test, and the Four Square Step Test. RESULTS: Three novice rock climbers with PD took part in this study. Participant 1 (P1) was a 73-year-old male with a 7-year history of idiopathic PD with early stage clinical presentation. Participant 2 (P2) was a 70-year-old male with a 13-year history of idiopathic PD with middle stage clinical presentation. Participant 3 (P3) was a 72-year-old male with a 4-year history of familial PD with early stage clinical presentation and cognitive involvement. The following results represent the change from pretest to posttest in seconds. Climbers P1 and P3 had faster and improved Trail Making Part B times P1: -3.89; P2: +22; P3: -8.57. Climbers P2 and P3 had faster and improved TUG manual times: P1: +0.041; P2: -0.141; P3: -0.976. Climber P3 had faster and improved TUG cognitive times: P1:+0.209; P2: +0.633; P3: -3.791 seconds. All 3 climbers had faster and improved timed Supine to Stand times: P1: -0.442; P2: -0.209, P3: -3.791. Climber P3 had faster and improved 4 Square Step Test times: P1: +0.3; P2: +1.258; P3: -1.458. CONCLUSIONS: Three novice rock climbers with PD demonstrated improvements in complex tasks following 8 weeks of IRC: P1 and P2 in 2/5 measures; P3 in 5/5 measures. The extent of improvement appeared greatest in P3 who presented with cognitive impairment at baseline. It is possible that IRC prepares learners for task complexities similar to those encountered in the community. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence for larger studies to investigate potential benefits of IRC for persons with PD.