Home exercise reduces motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: analysis 

30 training sessions over 8 weeks produce moderate improvements 

A person runs on a treadmill. 

According to a meta-analysis, home exercise, including aerobics, strength training, and balance exercises, reduces overall motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. 

However, the benefits were only seen if patients exercised at least 30 times for at least 8 weeks. 

The results provide "clear, evidence-based clinical practice information for clinicians and patients" about the benefits of home exercise, the researchers wrote in their study, "Effects of home exercise on motor  Symptoms, quality of life,  

Parkinson's disease is characterized by the death of nerve cells (neurons) that produce dopamine, a chemical messenger that plays a key role in transmitting signals to other neurons that control the body's movement. This leads to a variety of typical motor symptoms, such as tremors, stiffness or rigidity, and balance problems, increasing the risk of falls. 

Exercise and physical activity are both well-established non-pharmacological approaches to treat Parkinson's disease. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a campaign to encourage and support people to maintain  daily physical activity, mainly through home exercise. "However, the WHO recommendations do not include information on the type and amount of exercise," the researchers wrote. 

Researchers propose prescribing exercise as a treatment for Parkinson's disease 

Small but significant effects observed 

To understand and evaluate the effect of home exercise on motor symptoms and functional performance in patients with Parkinson's disease and to identify effective exercise types and programs, the research team  searched  for published studies in five Chinese databases. A total of 20 clinical studies involving 1,885 patients with Parkinson's disease (average disease duration 7.3 years) were included in the meta-analysis. 

The exercise programs included aerobic exercise, balance and gait training, a combination of aerobic and strength or balance exercises, and arm and hand exercises. The number and length of sessions varied widely between studies, ranging from 9 to 96 sessions over a period of 3 to 24 weeks. Training frequency was similar in most studies.  The effects of exercise on Parkinson's disease patients have been studied both during  the off-phase, when symptoms are not effectively controlled by medication, and during the on-phase, when symptoms are controlled by medication. Studies have also investigated the effects of exercise during the on-phase and off-phase. 

Home exercises resulted in a small but significant reduction in overall motor symptoms and improved quality of life, walking speed, and balance. Manual dexterity also improved, and patients no longer feared falling. 

Moderate improvements in overall motor symptoms were observed when patients exercised at home at least three times a week for a total weekly exercise time of at least 2 hours for 8 to 16 weeks. However, no significant effects were observed when home exercises were performed for less than 8 weeks or for fewer than 30 total sessions. 

The results suggest that "home-based exercise appears to be effective in alleviating motor symptoms and improving quality of life in patients with [Parkinson's disease]," the researchers wrote. . "We recommend a practice duration of at least 8 weeks and a total number of sessions of at least 30," they concluded.