This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the exercise capacity of subjects with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease and determine whether abnormalities in respiratory function and gait affect exercise capacity.
Design: Descriptive. Subjects were categorized according to exercise history, disease severity, and presence/absence of upper airway obstruction.
Subjects and Setting: Sixteen volunteers with mild to moderate idiopathic Parkinson's disease attended a university research laboratory.
Main Outcome Measures: Subjects performed a maximum exercise test on a cycle ergometer, together with respiratory function tests and a walking test. Peak values for oxygen consumption and work rate were recorded for the maximum exercise test. Measures of respiratory function included spirometry, flow-volume loops, lung volumes, and mouth pressures. Velocity, stride length, and cadence were measured for preferred and fast speeds of walking. The values obtained on each of these tests were compared with published predicted age- and gender-matched normal values.
Results: Peak oxygen consumptions and peak work loads achieved by subjects with Parkinson's disease were not significantly different from normal values, despite evidence of respiratory and gait abnormalities typical of Parkinson's disease. Exercise category was significantly correlated with percent predicted Vo2peak (r = .64, p < .01), with sedentary subjects producing lower scores than exercising subjects. There was no significant correlation between disease severity and percent predicted Vo2 peak.
Conclusion: Despite their neurological deficit, individuals with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease have the potential to maintain normal exercise capacity with regular aerobic exercise.
References
- Parkinson's disease.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1994; 57: 672-681
- A motor learning model for rehabilitation of the movement-disabled.in: Ada L Canning C Key issues in neurological physiotherapy. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford1990: 1-24
- The role of physiotherapy intervention.in: Turnbull G Physical therapy management of Parkinson's disease. Churchill Livingstone, New York1992: 91-120
- Work capacity, muscle strength and SDH activity in both legs of hemiparetic patients and patients with Parkinson's disease.Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1975; 35: 531-538
- The effect of exercise on levodopa absorption.Neurology. 1992; 42: 2042-2045
- Cardiovascular and metabolic responses to upper- and lower-extremity exercise in men with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.Phys Ther. 1996; 76: 34-40
- Maximal expiratory and inspiratory flow volume curves in Parkinson's disease.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1989; 139: 610-614
- Effects of treatment on airway dynamics and respiratory muscle strength in Parkinson's disease.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1993; 148: 1576-1580
- Pulmonary function in Parkinson's disease.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1989; 52: 329-333
- Airway dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease.Lung. 1994; 172: 47-55
- Pulmonary function in Parkinson's syndrome: the effect of thalatomy.Can Med Assoc J. 1968; 99: 752-757
- Obstructive respiratory dysfunction in Parkinsonian patients.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1967; 95: 33-47
- The cause of abnormal pulmonary function in Parkinson's disease.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1972; 105: 382-387
- A “saw-tooth” pattern in Parkinson's disease.Chest. 1985; 87: 124-126
- Involvement of upper-airway muscles in extrapyramidal disorders: A cause of airflow limitation.New Engl J Med. 1984; 311: 438-442
- Quantitative analysis of gait in Parkinson patients: increased variability of stride length.J Neurol Sci. 1990; 98: 91-97
- The pathogenesis of gait hypokinesia in Parkinson's disease.Brain. 1994; 117: 1169-1181
- Ability to modulate walking cadence remains intact in Parkinson's disease.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1994; 57: 1532-1534
- The kinematics of gait.in: Turnbull G Physical therapy management of Parkinson's disease. Churchill Livingstone, New York1992: 49-67
- Physical activity and sports in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease in comparison with healthy seniors.J Neural Trans. 1993; 5: 157-161
- Parkinsonism: onset, progression and mortality.Neurology. 1967; 17: 427-442
- Normal standards for ventilatory function using an automated wedge spirometer.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1972; 106: 38-46
- Standardization of spirometry—1994 update.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995; 152: 1107-1136
- The maximal expiratory flow-volume curve.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1976; 113: 587-600
- Measurement of the total lung capacity by helium dilution in a constant volume system.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1970; 102: 760-770
- Respiratory function tests: normal values at medium altitudes and the prediction of normal.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1959; 79: 457-467
- Predicted normal values for maximal respiratory pressures in caucasian adults and children.Thorax. 1984; 39: 535-538
- Quantitative gait analysis—comparison of rheumatoid arthritic and non-arthritic subjects.Aust J Physiother. 1994; 40: 191-199
- Clinical exercise testing.W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia1975
- Textbook of work physiology: physiological bases of exercise.3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York1986
- The perception of breathlessness in asthma.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982; 126: 825-828
- Physiological responses to maximal exercise in a normal Australian population—comparative values in patients with anatomically defined coronary artery disease.Aust N Z J Med. 1977; 7: 497-506
- Normal standards for an incremental progressive cycle ergometer test.Am Rev Respir Dis. 1985; 131: 700-708
- Sustained maximum voluntary ventilation.Respir Physiol. 1970; 8: 230-244
- Clinical exercise testing.3rd ed. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia1988
- New South Wales Health Promotion Survey, 1994.in: 7th ed. Technical Report. NSW Health Department, Sydney1995
- Effects of aerobic exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness in early Parkinson's disease patients.([abstract])in: Jones S Strauss G Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, 1994 July 25–29; Bali, Indonesia Australian Physiotherapy Association (WA Branch), Perth1994: 22-23
- Muscle metabolism during exercise in patients with Parkinson's disease.Clin Sci Mol Med. 1974; 47: 493-506
- Pleuropulmonary involvement during bromocriptine treatment.Chest. 1988; 94: 1034-1036
- Measurement, implications and modification of human respiratory muscle performance: An introductory review.J Hum Muscle Perf. 1991; 1: 1-10
Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
July 22,
1996
Received:
February 23,
1996
Footnotes
☆Supported by a Cumberland Research Grant, The University of Sydney.
☆☆No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 1997 Published by Elsevier Inc.
