The effects of arm crank training on aerobic capacity, physical performance, quality of life, and health-related disability in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background: Aerobic exercise training contributes to improvement of cardiopulmonary capacity, mobility, neurological function, and quality of life. Aims: To investigate the effects of arm crank ergometer training on aerobic capacity, quality of life, and Parkinson’s disease (PD)-related disability Methods: Seventeen patients with PD were recruited to study. Assessments were performed at baseline and at the end of an 8-week arm crank ergometer (ACE) training program (3 days/week; 1 h per session, 50–70% VO2peak) with patients acting as their own control. Outcome measures included aerobic capacity assessment, 6-min walk test (6MWT), timed up and go test (TUG), Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Beck Depression Index (BDI), the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Results: At the end of the study, an increase of 30.49% in aerobic capacity was observed. Statistically significant improvements were found for the 6MWT (p = 0.001), TUG test (p = 0.001), UPDRS total score (p = 0.002), quality of life assessed with PDQ-39 (p = 0.006), BDI (p = 0.001), and FES scores (p = 0.002) after an 8-week ACE training. No significant effect on MoCA was found (p = 0.264). Conclusion: An 8-week ACE training led to significant improvement in aerobic capacity, physical performance, and PD-related disabilities. © 2021, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.