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Vasconcelos L1, Rovani AL1, Cassemiro TA1
1PUC Minas, Physical Therapy, Poços de Caldas, Brazil
Background: Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease concern for elderly people. It is characterized by akinetic rigidity and impaired motor activity that leads to reduced function and fall. Before next-generation treatments, such as stem cell and genetic therapy, can be clinically applied, many alternatives are being considered as adjuvant therapies to improve the outcome of patients. Physical therapy has been demonstrated to lead to a global improvement in PD, and has been suggested to alter brain activation patterns in patients with PD. It is known that in Parkinson disease there are some dysfunctions of the internal clock which would be one of the causes of the scarce movement fluidity and of gait impairment. In order to reduce these symptoms, it is necessary to “guide” the internal clock and this can be done by using an external rhythm, helping in regulating the fluidity of muscular activation, improving coordination, and facilitating the execution of automatic movements, such as walking. With this information in mind, TEVA Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd developed de PARKINSOUNDS®, a free app that works from a default music list or on-line connection with Spotify® playlists, adding rhythmic beats to music.
Purpose: The main goal of this pilot experiment was to test the feasibility and the benefits of PARKINSOUNDS® for gait improvement in patients with PD, especially in relation to gait velocity, step length and width and stride length with and without app use.
Methods: Seven participants with PD performed a 50-min physical therapy session, twice a week during twelve weeks. Five participants used the app during gait training program and other two performed the same training without the app. All participants started the session performing the Frenkel exercise protocol. After this, they walked for twelve minutes. Every four weeks they were reassessed and the walked circuit increased (cycle 1: plane; cycle 2: plane + ramp and ladder; cycle 3: plane + ramp and ladder + unstable ground).
Results: Preliminary results shows that participants in app group improved they gait performance (velocity and step length and width, and stride length) during sessions and between the evaluations better than those who do not used the app during the training program. Statistics is in progress.
Conclusion(s): PARKINSOUNDS® can be an important therapeutic tool for physiotherapists in rehabilitation programs for patients with PD, improving the gait of this population.
There are no actual or potential conflicts of interest regarding this project.
Implications: Once the app use brought an acceleration of the gait rehabilitation for patients with PD, it can represent an additional way for physical therapy to provide even more functional independence for them.
Keywords: Rehabilitation, Parkinson´s disease, mobile applications
Funding acknowledgements: PROBIC PUC MINAS/FAPEMIG no2018/1510.
Purpose: The main goal of this pilot experiment was to test the feasibility and the benefits of PARKINSOUNDS® for gait improvement in patients with PD, especially in relation to gait velocity, step length and width and stride length with and without app use.
Methods: Seven participants with PD performed a 50-min physical therapy session, twice a week during twelve weeks. Five participants used the app during gait training program and other two performed the same training without the app. All participants started the session performing the Frenkel exercise protocol. After this, they walked for twelve minutes. Every four weeks they were reassessed and the walked circuit increased (cycle 1: plane; cycle 2: plane + ramp and ladder; cycle 3: plane + ramp and ladder + unstable ground).
Results: Preliminary results shows that participants in app group improved they gait performance (velocity and step length and width, and stride length) during sessions and between the evaluations better than those who do not used the app during the training program. Statistics is in progress.
Conclusion(s): PARKINSOUNDS® can be an important therapeutic tool for physiotherapists in rehabilitation programs for patients with PD, improving the gait of this population.
There are no actual or potential conflicts of interest regarding this project.
Implications: Once the app use brought an acceleration of the gait rehabilitation for patients with PD, it can represent an additional way for physical therapy to provide even more functional independence for them.
Keywords: Rehabilitation, Parkinson´s disease, mobile applications
Funding acknowledgements: PROBIC PUC MINAS/FAPEMIG no2018/1510.
Topic: Neurology: Parkinson's disease; Neurology
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: PUC Minas
Ethics committee: PUC Minas
Ethics number: CAAE: 76930617.9.0000.5137
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
