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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022;50(1):47-56.
doi: 10.3233/NRE-210181.

Structured guideline-based physiotherapy reduces difficulties in activities of daily living in Parkinson's disease

Kadri Medijainen  1 , Mati Pääsuke  1 , Aet Lukmann  2 , Pille Taba  3   4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Structured guideline-based physiotherapy reduces difficulties in activities of daily living in Parkinson's disease

Kadri Medijainen et al. NeuroRehabilitation. 2022.

Abstract

Background: In the long term, Parkinson's disease (PD) leads to the development of difficulties in daily functional tasks. There remains a paucity of evidence on the effectiveness of physiotherapy on patient-perceived difficulties regarding basic activities of daily living (ADL).

Objectives: To assess an effect of a versatile physiotherapy intervention on patient-perceived difficulties in basic ADL.

Methods: The study sample included 24 patients (10 men and 14 women) with PD. Participants were randomly assigned into intervention (IG) and control groups (CG). Two assessments were performed with a gap of 10 weeks. Following first assessment, during an 8-week period, IG participants attended sixteen physiotherapy 60-minutes sessions in groups that were divided into five parts to address the core areas recommended by the European Physiotherapy Guideline for PD (EPGPD): gait, transfers, balance, physical capacity, and manual activities. The main assessment tool was the Modified Patients Specific Functional Scale (ModPSFS), which represents a self-assessment rating on difficulties perceived in 17 different commonly occurring activities.

Results: IG members reported a significant reduction in self-perceived difficulties as assessed by ModPSFS (effect size 1.39; 95%CI 5.1, 26.6 points, p = 0.005).

Conclusions: 2-months conventional physiotherapy with incorporated core areas recommended in EPGPD for PD reduced patient-perceived difficulties in basic ADL.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; Patient Specific Functional Scale; activities of daily living; guideline; patient-centered care; physiotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the sample collection and study design.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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