Dance as therapy for individuals with Parkinson disease

Abstract

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative movement disorder that is often accompanied by impaired balance and walking and reduced quality of life (QoL). Recent studies indicate that dance may be an effective alternative to traditional exercise for addressing these areas of concern to individuals with PD. This review summarizes the relatively scant literature on the benefits of dance for those with PD, discusses what is currently known with respect to appropriate dosing of dance interventions, and speculates upon potential mechanisms by which dance may convey benefits. There is a clear need for additional research using larger sample sizes to examine the potential long-term effects of dance for those with PD.

Figure 1

Graph showing changes in performance on the Berg Balance Scale (A) and Six Minute Walk (B) in individuals with PD who completed 20 twice weekly, one-hour sessions of tango, waltz/foxtrot, Tai Chi, or no exercise (Control). Asterisks denote significant improvements from pre- to post-intervention as determined using two-way repeated measures ANOVAs with group and time as factors. All three interventions resulted in improved balance and walking performance, with dance having larger effect sizes than Tai Chi. (Portions of these data have been presented previously in a different form ,, however the statistical analysis presented here that compares all four groups has not been reported elsewhere.)