Effects of two different exercise programs on gait parameters in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

To date, little attempt has been made to compare or evaluate the effects of different physical exercise programs on gait disorders in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). This pilot study is aimed at obtaining preliminary data of the effects of two different exercise programs on gait parameters in people with PD by means of a biomechanical three-dimensional motion analysis. Twenty-five individuals with idiopathic PD participated either in a land-based (LB) or in a LB plus water-based (LWB) exercise program for 16 weeks. The efficacy of both exercise programs was quantified by means of a biomechanical gait analysis from which spatiotemporal and sagittal plane kinetic (gait speed, stride length, cadence, stride time, simple support time, double support time) and kinematic (angles of the hip, knee, and ankle joints) variables were recorded. Once the intervention ended, significant changes were observed in stride length and single/double support time variables in all the patients. The intergroup analysis revealed the existence of significant differences only in the gait Speed and hip Angle parameters. Few significant improvements in the amplitude of lower limb joints were found. These results suggest that land-based and land-plus-water-based exercise programs can be considered as a useful physical rehabilitation alternative, both equally capable of improving gait impairment on Parkinson's disease.