TY - JOUR
T1 - Postural and balance disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease
T2 - A prospective open-label feasibility study with two months of action observation treatment
AU - Santamato, Andrea
AU - Ranieri, Maurizio
AU - Cinone, Nicoletta
AU - Stuppiello, Lucia Anna
AU - Valeno, Giovanni
AU - De Sanctis, Jula Laura
AU - Fortunato, Francesca
AU - Solfrizzi, Vincenzo
AU - Greco, Antonio
AU - Seripa, Davide
AU - Panza, Francesco
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Action observation treatment has been proposed as therapeutic option in rehabilitation of patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) to improve freezing of gait episodes. The purpose of this prospective open-label feasibility study was to evaluate the impact of 8-week action observation training (video-therapy) for the treatment of postural instability and balance impairment in PD patients. Fifteen PD patients aged under 80 years with scores of 1 to 3 on the Hoehn and Yahr staging and without evidence of freezing of gait were recruited. They underwent 24 sessions of video-therapy training based on carefully watching video clips on motor tasks linked to balance, subsequently performing the same observed movements. No statistically significant differences were observed in the identified outcome measures with the Berg Balance Scale and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale after two months of follow-up. In the present study, a short course of action observation treatment seems to be not effective in reducing balance impairments and postural instability in patients affected by mild to moderate PD. Further studies with larger samples, longer follow-up period, and standardized protocols of action observation treatment are needed to investigate the effects of this rehabilitation technique in the management of postural and balance disorders of PD patients.
AB - Action observation treatment has been proposed as therapeutic option in rehabilitation of patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) to improve freezing of gait episodes. The purpose of this prospective open-label feasibility study was to evaluate the impact of 8-week action observation training (video-therapy) for the treatment of postural instability and balance impairment in PD patients. Fifteen PD patients aged under 80 years with scores of 1 to 3 on the Hoehn and Yahr staging and without evidence of freezing of gait were recruited. They underwent 24 sessions of video-therapy training based on carefully watching video clips on motor tasks linked to balance, subsequently performing the same observed movements. No statistically significant differences were observed in the identified outcome measures with the Berg Balance Scale and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale after two months of follow-up. In the present study, a short course of action observation treatment seems to be not effective in reducing balance impairments and postural instability in patients affected by mild to moderate PD. Further studies with larger samples, longer follow-up period, and standardized protocols of action observation treatment are needed to investigate the effects of this rehabilitation technique in the management of postural and balance disorders of PD patients.
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U2 - 10.1155/2015/902738
DO - 10.1155/2015/902738
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84954506936
VL - 2015
JO - npj Parkinson's Disease
JF - npj Parkinson's Disease
SN - 2090-8083
M1 - 902738
ER -