BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF A SHORT-TERM EXERCISE PROGRAM ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is one of the leading neurogenic causes of falls and gait impairments in the elderly. Maintaining daily living activities becomes harder as the disease progresses. Falls frequently occur because of physical and cognitive disabilities. In the current study, our aims were to assess the effects of exercise and the occurrence of falls in patients with Parkinson's disease. Materials and Method: Thirty six volunteer patients with Parkinsonism syndrome were evaluated for eligibility for the current study and went through a 4-week rehabilitation program. Exclusion criteria were being at Hoehn-Yahr stages 4 or 5, having a diagnosis of major depression, a change in pharmacological treatment for Parkinsonism symptoms during the rehabilitation program, or having a diagnosis of secondary Parkinsonism syndrome. Eighteen patients were excluded in line with the above criteria. Two patients did not complete the program. Three patients were lost to follow-up 6 weeks after the end of the intervention. In the final evaluation there were 13 patients. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Tinetti Scale, and Timed Up&Go Test were used as assesment tools. Results: Analyzing the changes in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores, Tinetti scores, and the Timed Up&Go test revealed significant improvement in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part 2 (activities of daily living part) after the exercise program. Furthermore, this improvement was maintained for 6 weeks in the follow up period. Conclusion: Even short-term exercises can provide improvement in the functional status of Parkinson patients.