Parkinson’s Disease Dance
September 2, 2013 Written by JP [Font too small?]In a recent interview with AARP (The American Association of Retired Persons), Linda Ronstadt, a 67 year old, multi-platinum singer who’s earned 11 Grammy Awards, revealed that she’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Because of her illness, she’s now unable to sing and has effectively retired. In the past, other celebrities including Muhammed Ali, internationally acclaimed activist and boxer, and Michael J. Fox, one of the top grossing actors of all time, have also gone public with their Parkinson’s diagnosis in an effort to raise awareness and money for research to improve the care for those living with this life altering disease.
In the field of alternative and complementary medicine, several remedies have been scientifically studied over the past few decades. Two of the most promising are CoQ10, an antioxidant produced by the body and contained in small amounts in certain foods, and a Traditional Chinese herbal “medicine” known as Bushen Huoxue Granule. In my opinion, anyone affected by PD should look into both of these natural options as adjuncts to conventional care. However, there is another all-natural treatment which is lesser known and even more accessible to many patients and more acceptable to many physicians: dance therapy.
It might surprise you to learn that the single most studied natural remedy for PD is participation in various forms of dance. And, perhaps more importantly, the published data on dance therapy reports consistently and irrefutably positive results. A few highlights, from peer review, scientific studies reveal that: 1) Ballet improves balance and stability in PD patients. 2) Irish set dancing has a more profound effect than physiotherapy in relation to gait (manner of walking) and motor dysfunction. 3) Regular Tango practice reduces PD severity by -28.7%, as assessed by a widely utilized rating scale (MDS-UPDRS 3). Other forms of dance, such as the foxtrot/waltz, improvisational dance and partner dancing have, likewise, yielded very encouraging outcomes. What’s more, there’s some evidence suggesting that partnered dancing leads to even greater adherence and enjoyment than individual dance.
Dance may seem like the most unlikely therapeutic option for those with Parkinson’s disease. After all, muscle rigidity, poor balance, posture and tremors aren’t exactly assets for dancers. But, that’s not at all the point. The practice of dancing itself appears to improve the physical functioning of the body that typically declines in PD. That is why the progression of Parkinson’s, and the quality of life of those living with it, can benefit profoundly from getting involved in a structured dance therapy class. In the case of the three well known celebrities mentioned above, this is a departure from their previous work of actor, boxer and singer. However, this is also true of most people who pursue dance as a form of medicine. Thankfully, whether you like dance or feel comfortable doing it is irrelevant. Rather, the focus and goal ought to be pursuing every possible resource that may overcome or slow the otherwise predictable trajectory of this disease. To that end, dance is most certainly a powerful option worthy of consideration.
Note: Please check out the “Comments & Updates” section of this blog – at the bottom of the page. You can find the latest research about this topic there!
To learn more about the studies referenced in today’s column, please click on the following links:
Study 1 – AARP Blog: Linda Ronstadt Discloses Her Battle With Parkinson’s Disease … (link)
Study 2 – The Cochrane Library: Coenzyme Q10 for Parkinson’s Disease … (link)
Study 3 – Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine Bushen Huoxue Granule on Quality … (link)
Study 4 – A Mixed-Methods Study Into Ballet for People Living with Parkinson’s … (link)
Study 5 – A Comparison of Irish Set Dancing and Exercises for People with … (link)
Study 6 – Randomized Controlled Trial of Community-Based Dancing to Modify … (link)
Study 7 – Effects of a Short Duration, High Dose Contact Improvisation Dance … (link)
Study 8 – Effects of Dance on Gait & Balance in Parkinson’s Disease: Comparison … (link)
Study 9 – Short Duration, Intensive Tango Dancing for Parkinson Disease … (link)
Study 10 – Effects of Dance on Movement Control in Parkinson’s Disease … (link)
CoQ10 Deficiency is Common in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Source: J Neurol Sci. 2012 Jul 15;318(1-2):72-5. (link)
Tags: Balance, CoQ10, Dance
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Exercise, Mental Health
March 27th, 2015 at 10:27 pm
Update: The beneficial effects of dance therapy appear to be long lasting …
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2012.0774
J Altern Complement Med. 2014 Oct;20(10):757-63.
Are the effects of community-based dance on Parkinson disease severity, balance, and functional mobility reduced with time? A 2-year prospective pilot study.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of participation in a 2-year community-based dance class on disease severity and functional mobility in people with Parkinson disease (PD).
DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.
SETTINGS/LOCATION: Dance classes took place in a community-based location. Outcome measures were collected in a university laboratory.
PATIENTS: Ten individuals with PD were randomly assigned to the Argentine tango (AT) group (n=5 [4 men]; mean age±standard deviation, 69.6±6.6 years) or the control group (n=5 [4 men]; mean age±standard deviation, 66±11.0 years).
INTERVENTIONS: The AT group participated in a community-based AT class for 1 hour twice weekly for 2 years. Control group participants were given no prescribed exercise. Blinded assessments occurred at baseline and 12 and 24 months.
OUTCOME MEASURES: Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) III, Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), gait velocity (forward and backward), Timed Up and Go and dual-task Timed Up and Go, Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), MDS-UPDRS II, MDS-UPDRS I, and Freezing of Gait Questionnaire.
RESULTS: There were no differences between groups at baseline. A significant group-by-time interaction (F [2,8]=17.59; p<0.0001) was noted for the MDS-UPDRS III, with the AT group having lower scores at 12 and 24 months than the controls. Significant interactions were also noted for the Mini-BESTest, MDS-UPDRS II and I, and 6MWT.
CONCLUSION: This is believed to be one of the longest-duration studies to examine the effects of exercise on PD. Participation in community-based dance classes over 2 years was associated with improvements in motor and nonmotor symptom severity, performance on activities of daily living, and balance in a small group of people with PD. This is noteworthy given the progressive nature of PD and the fact that the control group declined on some outcome measures over 2 years.
Be well!
JP
April 13th, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Update: 4/13/15
http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/377676
Eur Neurol. 2015 Mar 10;73(3-4):205-211.
The Effect of Creatine and Coenzyme Q10 Combination Therapy on Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease.
BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of creatine and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) combination therapy on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Parkinson’s disease (PD; PD-MCI) and its influences on plasma phospholipid (PL) levels in PD-MCI.
METHODS: The demographic data of 75 PD-MCI patients who enrolled in this collaborative PD study were collected. These patients were evaluated using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). These 75 PD-MCI patients were randomly treated with creatine monohydrate 5 g b.i.d. and CoQ10 100 mg t.i.d. orally or placebo. MoCA evaluation and PL level measurements were performed after 12 and 18 months of treatment.
RESULTS: After 12 and 18 months of treatment, the differences in the MoCA scores of the combination therapy and control groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05 at 12 months and p < 0.01 at 18 months), and the plasma PL levels of the combination therapy group were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.01 at 12 months and p < 0.001 at 18 months). CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy with creatine and CoQ10 could delay the decline of cognitive function in PD-MCI patients and could lower their plasma PL levels; therefore, this combination therapy may have a neuroprotective function. Be well! JP
June 2nd, 2015 at 1:01 pm
Update 06/02/15:
http://www.complementarytherapiesinmedicine.com/article/S0965-2299%2815%2900011-4/abstract
Complement Ther Med. 2015 Apr;23(2):210-9.
Effects of dance on motor functions, cognitive functions, and mental symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: a quasi-randomized pilot trial.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of dance on motor functions, cognitive functions, and mental symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
DESIGN: This study employed a quasi-randomised, between-group design.
SETTING: Dance, PD exercise, and all assessments were performed in community halls in different regions of Japan.
PARTICIPANTS: Forty-six mild-moderate PD patients participated.
INTERVENTION: Six PD patient associations that agreed to participate in the study were randomly assigned to a dance group, PD exercise group, or non-intervention group. The dance and PD exercise groups performed one 60-min session per week for 12 weeks. Control group patients continued with their normal lives. All groups were assessed before and after the intervention.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used the Timed Up-and-Go Test (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to assess motor function, the Frontal Assessment Battery at bedside (FAB) and Mental Rotation Task (MRT) to assess cognitive function, and the Apathy Scale (AS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) to assess mental symptoms of PD. The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was used for general assessment of PD.
RESULTS: When comparing results before and after intervention, the dance group showed a large effect in TUG time (ES=0.65, p=0.006), TUG step number (ES=0.66, p=0.005), BBS (ES=0.75, p=0.001), FAB (ES=0.77, p=0.001), MRT response time (ES=0.79, p<0.001), AS (ES=0.78, p<0.001), SDS (ES=0.66, p=0.006) and UPDRS (ES=0.88, p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Dance was effective in improving motor function, cognitive function, and mental symptoms in PD patients. General symptoms in PD also improved. Dance is an effective method for rehabilitation in PD patients.
Be well!
JP
June 2nd, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Update 06/02/15:
http://www.complementarytherapiesinmedicine.com/article/S0965-2299%2815%2900029-1/abstract
Complement Ther Med. 2015 Apr;23(2):175-84.
Tango for treatment of motor and non-motor manifestations in Parkinson’s disease: a randomized control study.
OBJECTIVE: To determine effects of Argentine tango on motor and non-motor manifestations of Parkinson’s disease.
DESIGN: Randomized control trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Forty patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.
SETTING: Movement disorder clinic and dance studio.
INTERVENTION: Two randomized groups: group (N=18) with 24 partnered tango classes, and control self-directed exercise group (N=15).
MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary outcome was overall motor severity. Secondary outcomes included other motor measures, balance, cognition, fatigue, apathy, depression and quality of life.
RESULTS: On the primary intention-to-treat analysis there was no difference in motor severity between groups MDS-UPDRS-3 (1.6 vs.1.2-point reduction, p=0.85). Patient-rated clinical global impression of change did not differ (p=0.33), however examiner rating improved in favor of tango (p=0.02). Mini-BESTest improved in the tango group compared to controls (0.7±2.2 vs. -2.7±5.9, p=0.032). Among individual items, tango improved in both simple TUG time (-1.3±1.6s vs. 0.1±2.3, p=0.042) and TUG Dual Task score (0.4±0.9 vs. -0.2±0.4, p=0.012), with borderline improvement in walk with pivot turns (0.2±0.5 vs. -0.1±0.5, p=0.066). MoCa (0.4±1.6 vs. -0.6±1.5, p=0.080) and FSS (-3.6±10.5 vs. 2.5±6.2, p=0.057) showed a non-significant trend toward improvement in the tango group. Tango participants found the activity more enjoyable (p<0.001) and felt more "overall" treatment satisfaction (p<0.001). We found no significant differences in other outcomes or adverse events.
CONCLUSION: Argentine tango can improve balance, and functional mobility, and may have modest benefits upon cognition and fatigue in Parkinson's disease. These findings must be confirmed in longer-term trials explicitly powered for cognition and fatigue.
Be well!
JP
June 2nd, 2015 at 1:06 pm
Update 06/02/15:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4305547/
J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jan;27(1):145-7.
Effect of virtual reality dance exercise on the balance, activities of daily living, and depressive disorder status of Parkinson’s disease patients.
[Purpose] In this study, we examined the effects of virtual reality dance exercise on the balance, activities of daily living and depressive disorder status of Parkinson’s disease patients.
[Subjects] Twenty patients were assigned either the experimental group (n = 10) or the control group (n = 10). All participants received 30 minutes of neurodevelopment treatment and 15 minutes of functional electrical stimulation 5 times per week for 6 weeks. The experimental group additionally performed 30 minutes of dance exercise. Balance, activities of daily living, and depressive disorder status were assessed before and after the 6-week treatment period using the Berg balance scale, the Modified Barthel Index, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The paired t-test was used to detect differences before and after treatment, and the independent t-test was used to detect differences between the treatment groups.
[Results] The values for balance, activities of daily living, and depressive disorder status significantly differed between before and after treatment in the experimental group, and significantly differed between the experimental group and control group.
[Conclusion] Virtual reality dance exercise has a positive effect on balance, activities of daily living, and depressive disorder status of Parkinson’s disease patients.
Be well!
JP
June 6th, 2015 at 1:35 pm
Update 06/06/15:
http://www.complementarytherapiesinmedicine.com/article/S0965-2299%2815%2900011-4/abstract
Complement Ther Med. 2015 Apr;23(2):210-9.
Effects of dance on motor functions, cognitive functions, and mental symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: a quasi-randomized pilot trial.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of dance on motor functions, cognitive functions, and mental symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
DESIGN: This study employed a quasi-randomised, between-group design.
SETTING: Dance, PD exercise, and all assessments were performed in community halls in different regions of Japan.
PARTICIPANTS: Forty-six mild-moderate PD patients participated.
INTERVENTION: Six PD patient associations that agreed to participate in the study were randomly assigned to a dance group, PD exercise group, or non-intervention group. The dance and PD exercise groups performed one 60-min session per week for 12 weeks. Control group patients continued with their normal lives. All groups were assessed before and after the intervention.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used the Timed Up-and-Go Test (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to assess motor function, the Frontal Assessment Battery at bedside (FAB) and Mental Rotation Task (MRT) to assess cognitive function, and the Apathy Scale (AS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) to assess mental symptoms of PD. The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was used for general assessment of PD.
RESULTS: When comparing results before and after intervention, the dance group showed a large effect in TUG time (ES=0.65, p=0.006), TUG step number (ES=0.66, p=0.005), BBS (ES=0.75, p=0.001), FAB (ES=0.77, p=0.001), MRT response time (ES=0.79, p<0.001), AS (ES=0.78, p<0.001), SDS (ES=0.66, p=0.006) and UPDRS (ES=0.88, p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Dance was effective in improving motor function, cognitive function, and mental symptoms in PD patients. General symptoms in PD also improved. Dance is an effective method for rehabilitation in PD patients.
Be well!
JP
June 19th, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Update 05/19/15:
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/6/4817/htm
Nutrients. 2015 Jun 15;7(6):4817-4827.
Associations between Vitamin D Status, Supplementation, Outdoor Work and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis Assessment.
The present study aimed to quantitatively assess the associations between vitamin D and Parkinson’s Disease (PD) risks, which include: (i) risk of PD in subjects with deficient and insufficient vitamin D levels; (ii) association between vitamin D supplementation and risk of PD; and (iii) association between outdoor work and PD risk, through meta-analyzing available data. An electronic literature search supplemented by hand searching up to March 2015 identified seven eligible studies comprising 5690 PD patients and 21251 matched controls. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of PD risk were assessed through pooling the collected data from eligible studies using Stata software. Pooled data showed that subjects with deficient and insufficient vitamin D levels had increased PD risks compared with matched-controls according to the corresponding OR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.63 to 2.65, and 1.29, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.51. Vitamin D supplementation was associated with significantly reduced risk of PD (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.90). Outdoor work was also related to reduced risk of PD (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.81). The findings may stimulate larger, well-designed studies to further verify the associations between vitamin D and PD risk.
Be well!
JP
June 25th, 2015 at 7:28 pm
Update 06/25/15:
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/pd/2015/816404/
Parkinsons Dis. 2015;2015:816404.
Mindfulness Training among Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: Neurobehavioral Effects.
Objective: To investigate possible neurobehavioral changes secondary to a mindfulness based intervention (MBI) training for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: In the context of complementary medicine, MBIs are increasingly being used for stress reduction and in patient populations coping with chronic illness. The use of alternative and complementary medicine may be higher in patients with chronic conditions such as PD. However, behavioral effects of mindfulness training in PD have not yet been reported in the literature and this points to an unmet need and warrants further examination.
Methods: A total of 27 out of 30 PD patients completed a randomized controlled longitudinal trial. Questionnaires and the UPDRS I-IV were obtained at baseline and 8-week follow-up.
Results: Significant changes after the MBI were found including a 5.5 point decrease on the UPDRS motor score, an increase of 0.79 points on Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) pain item, and a 3.15 point increase in the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire observe facet.
Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative analysis of neurobehavioral effects of MBI in PD.
Be well!
JP
June 25th, 2015 at 7:45 pm
Update 06/25/15:
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-benefits-people-parkinson-disease.html
“Parkinson’s disease patients who begin regular exercise earlier have a much slower decline in quality of life than those who start exercising later, a new study finds.
National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) researchers looked at information from nearly 3,000 patients. More than 1,300 reported doing little regular exercise before taking part in the study.
Over two years, 500 of the inactive patients began to exercise more than 2.5 hours a week. The researchers compared patients who exercised regularly for the entire two years to people who were inactive at the start of the study, but then began a regular exercise routine.
The study didn’t note the type of workouts, just the total amount of exercise.
After two years, scores on a questionnaire that measured the impact of Parkinson’s on daily life in a number of areas—including mood, movement and social interaction—worsened 1.4 points among those who began exercising earlier and 3.2 points among those who started exercising later.
This difference of nearly two points could be enough to make everyday activities feel harder for those not exercising, according to the authors of the study.”
Be well!
JP
June 25th, 2015 at 7:51 pm
Update 06/25/15:
http://www.prd-journal.com/article/S1353-8020%2815%2900240-0/abstract
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2015 May 29.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of reduced coenzyme Q10 for Parkinson’s disease.
INTRODUCTION: Mitochondrial complex I deficiencies have been found in post-mortem brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is the electron acceptor found in complexes I and II, and is a potent antioxidant. A recent trial of the oxidized form of CoQ10 for PD failed to show benefits; however, the reduced form of CoQ10 (ubiquinol-10) has shown better neuroprotective effects in animal models.
METHODS: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group pilot trials were conducted to assess the efficacy of ubiquinol-10 in Japanese patients with PD. Participants were divided into two groups: PD experiencing wearing off (Group A), and early PD, without levodopa (with or without a dopamine agonist) (Group B). Participants took 300 mg of ubiquinol-10 or placebo per day for 48 weeks (Group A) or 96 weeks (Group B).
RESULTS: In Group A, total Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores decreased in the ubiquinol-10 group (n = 14; mean ± SD [-4.2 ± 8.2]), indicating improvement in symptoms. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) compared with the placebo group (n = 12; 2.9 ± 8.9). In Group B, UPDRS increased in the ubiquinol-10 group (n = 14; 3.9 ± 8.0), as well as in the placebo group (n = 8; 5.1 ± 10.3). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report showing that ubiquinol-10 may significantly improve PD with wearing off, as judged by total UPDRS scores, and that ubiquinol-10 is safe and well tolerated. Be well! JP
July 1st, 2015 at 12:08 am
Update 06/30/15:
http://www.functionalneurology.com/common/php/portiere.php?ID=4edcdbbfdaa64ce4e289125d578284d4
Funct Neurol. 2015 Jun 11:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]
Effects of dispositional optimism on quality of life, emotional distress and disability in Parkinson’s disease outpatients under rehabilitation.
This study was performed with the aim of assessing dispositional optimism (DO) in a sample of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, in order to evaluate its association with clinical outcomes and its impact on rehabilitation. Before entering an outpatient rehabilitation program, 58 participants suffering from idiopathic PD completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) to evaluate their level of DO, the WHO-5 scale to evaluate their health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), the Hospital Anxiety and De ression Scale (HADS) to identify emotional distress, and the Barthel Index to evaluate their level of disability. All the measures were repeated four months later, at their discharge from the program. Disease stage and severity measures (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale) were also taken into consideration. Correlations and multivariate regression analyses compared DO with the health-related variables. On admission a high level of DO was found to be associated with less severe disease, a better quality of life (QoL) and lower emotional distress, but not with level of disability (Barthel Index). Consistent results were found at discharge. The level of DO did not change after rehabilitation, while anxiety was significantly reduced, especially in subjects with low LOT-R and high HADS scores. The Barthel Index values significantly improved. At discharge, participants with high DO showed the best improvements in disability and in QoL. Effects of dispositional optimism on quality of life, emotional distress and disability in Parkinson’s disease outpatients under rehabilitation In conclusion, a high level of DO was associated with QoL, HADS and UPDRS both on admission and at discharge. The level of DO remained stable after rehabilitation, while disability and anxiety were reduced. Participants with high DO generally had better QoL, and better clinical and psychological performances.
Be well!
JP
July 11th, 2015 at 7:14 pm
Update 07/11/15:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mds.26291/abstract
Mov Disord. 2015 Jul 6.
Exercise Improves Cognition in Parkinson’s Disease: The PRET-PD Randomized, Clinical Trial.
BACKGROUND: This article reports on the findings of the effect of two structured exercise interventions on secondary cognitive outcomes that were gathered as part of the Progressive Resistance Exercise Training in Parkinson’s disease (PD) randomized, controlled trial.
METHODS: This study was a prospective, parallel-group, single-center trial. Fifty-one nondemented patients with mild-to-moderate PD were randomly assigned either to modified Fitness Counts (mFC) or to Progressive Resistance Exercise Training (PRET) and were followed for 24 months. Cognitive outcomes were the Digit Span, Stroop, and Brief Test of Attention (BTA).
RESULTS: Eighteen patients in mFC and 20 patients in PRET completed the trial. At 12 and at 24 months, no differences between groups were observed. At 12 months, relative to baseline, mFC improved on the Digit Span (estimated change: 0.3; interquartile range: 0, 0.7; P = 0.04) and Stroop (0.3; 0, 0.6; P = 0.04), and PRET improved only on the Digit Span (0.7; 0.3, 1; P < 0.01). At 24 months, relative to baseline, mFC improved on the Digit Span (0.7; 0.3, 1.7; P < 0.01) and Stroop (0.3; 0.1, 0.5; P = 0.03), whereas PRET improved on the Digit Span (0.5; 0.2, 0.8; P < 0.01), Stroop (0.2; -0.1, 0.6; P = 0.048), and BTA (0.3; 0, 0.8; P = 0.048). No neurological or cognitive adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides class IV level of evidence that 24 months of PRET or mFC may improve attention and working memory in nondemented patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease. Be well! JP
February 13th, 2016 at 8:38 pm
Updated 02/13/16:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4685181/
Front Aging Neurosci. 2015 Dec 21;7:239.
Differential Effects of Tango Versus Dance for PD in Parkinson Disease.
Over half of the general population does not achieve recommended daily levels of physical activity, and activity levels in people with Parkinson disease (PD) are lower than in healthy older adults. Dance can serve as an adjunct to traditional treatments to improve gait, balance, and quality of life in people with PD. This study directly compares a tango dance intervention and a dance intervention based on the Dance for PD model, which integrates multiple dance styles. Eleven people with PD participated in a community-based mixed styles dance intervention called Dance for Parkinson’s (D4PD). Participants in the D4PD group were matched to participants in an ongoing community-based exercise study who participated in tango dance. The groups received 12 weeks of intervention, attending 1-h group classes twice a week. Participants were evaluated off anti-PD medication before and after intervention. Measures of balance, repeated sit-to-stand performance and endurance (mini-balance evaluation systems test, four square step test, five times sit to stand, 6-min walk time) improved from pre to post similarly in both groups. Motor sign severity (movement disorders society unified Parkinson disease rating scale motor subsection) and functional mobility (timed up and go) improved in the tango group and worsened in the D4PD group. Gait velocity was not affected by either intervention. Direct comparisons of different interventions are -critical for developing optimal exercise interventions designed to specifically target motor impairments in PD. Tango dance interventions may preferentially improve mobility and motor signs in people with PD, compared to D4PD.
Be well!
JP
October 24th, 2016 at 12:38 pm
Updated 10/24/16:
http://www.contemporaryclinicaltrials.com/article/S1551-7144(16)30353-6/abstract
Contemp Clin Trials. 2016 Oct 17.
A pilot study to evaluate multi-dimensional effects of dance for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with deficits in motor, cognitive, and emotion/quality of life (QOL) domains, yet most pharmacologic and behavioral interventions focus only on motor function. Our goal was to perform a pilot study of Dance for Parkinson’s-a community-based program that is growing in popularity-in order to compare effect sizes across multiple outcomes and to inform selection of primary and secondary outcomes for a larger trial. Study participants were people with PD who self-enrolled in either Dance for Parkinson’s classes (intervention group, N=8) or PD support groups (control group, N=7). Assessments of motor function (Timed-Up-and-Go, Gait Speed, Standing Balance Test), cognitive function (Test of Everyday Attention, Verbal Fluency, Alternate Uses, Digit Span Forward and Backward), and emotion/QOL (Geriatric Depression Scale, Falls Efficacy Scale-International, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (total score and Activities of Daily Living subscale)) were performed in both groups at baseline and follow-up. Standardized effect sizes were calculated within each group and between groups for all 12 measures. Effect sizes were positive (suggesting improvement) for all 12 measures within the intervention group and 7 of 12 measures within the control group. The largest between-group differences were observed for the Test of Everyday Attention (a measure of cognitive switching), gait speed and falls efficacy. Our findings suggest that dance has potential to improve multiple outcomes in people with PD. Future trials should consider co-primary outcomes given potential benefits in motor, cognitive and emotion/QOL domains.
Be well!
JP