The Effect of a Training Course with Underwater Sports Equipment on Re-Learning and Gait Quality of Patients with Mild Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system, which is one of the most common causes of inability to balance and walk in the elderly. With the spread of this disease in the world, many young people have also been affected by it, which has had a great impact on the quality of life of these people. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a water exercise program on balance and gait quality in patients with mild Parkinson’s disease. Method: The present study was quasi-experimental and pre-test post-test with a control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all mild Parkinson’s patients referred to the specialized water sports center. Twenty men with mild Parkinson’s disease were purposefully and voluntarily selected and then randomly divided into experimental (n = 10) and control (n = 10) groups. Subjects in the water exercise therapy group, in addition to drug therapy for eight weeks, performed three 70-minute sessions of exercise in the water every week, while the patients in the control group were only followed up during this period and had no drug therapy. They did not experience effective physical activity. At the beginning and end of the course, patients’ balance and gait quality were assessed by the Berg balance scale. Data were analyzed using t-test. Results: There was a significant improvement in the balance scores of the experimental group compared to the control group (p≤0.05), while no significant change was observed in the control group (p≥0.05). Discussion: The results of this study show that exercise with underwater devices can be a useful and effective method to prevent falls, improve balance, re-learn to walk properly and ultimately improve the quality of life of mild Parkinson’s patients.