A comparison between aquatic and land-based physical exercise on postural sway and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this pilot study was to compare the effects of water-based exercise to conventional land-based exercise on postural sway and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease. Methods: Twenty people (male) with Parkinson’s disease were randomly divided into two groups of ten. Both groups carried out an 8-week (three sessions per week) physical exercise protocol. Postural sway and quality-of-life parameters of two groups were measured in pre- and post-intervention sessions. Results: The between-group analyses indicate a greater reduction and thus improvement in the mean velocity of sway (p = 0.01) and an increase in the quality-of-life scores (p < 0.001) in the water-based group compared to land based. Conclusions: Water-based exercises were more beneficial than land-based exercises when considering improvements to postural stability and the quality of life of those with Parkinson’s disease. The aquatic therapy is a promising intervention in the rehabilitative care of people with Parkinson’s disease. © 2017, Springer-Verlag Italia.