PICO
Patient/Population
Mild to moderately Parkinson’s disease (n=48)
Intervention
- Sport climbing course
Comparison
- Unsupervised physical training
Outcomes
Bradykinesia
Rigidity
Tremor
Translatability: (3/3) Easy
Comments: All outcomes improved significantly and substantially due to climbing; climbing proved to be a safe and feasible exercise for PD patients without prior climbing experience, rich in physical and mental challenges, and with the potential to be highly motivational for PD patients to engage in physical activities in the long run. The control group only stabilized but did not improve, motor symptoms.
Limitations: MDS-UPDRS-III scale score, which is influenced by pharmacological treatment; only participants without previous climbing experience; follow-up assessment (i.e. interview) did not include another clinical assessment; the control group was not directly supervised.
Appraisals:
PEDro Scale – (7/10) Concealed allocation: No; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No. (by PEDro – confirmed)
Evidence – class III (by the authors)
BTB
Intervention – 1
- Sport climbing
Dose
- 90 min per week
Periodicity
- 12 weeks
Local/Technic:
Sport climbing course
Comparison
- Unsupervised physical training
Dose
Regular weekly exercise routines (approximately twice as much time on weekly physical activity as recommended by WHO, and the European Physiotherapy Guidelines for PD patients)
Periodicity
- Total mean of 389 min weekly.
Local/Technic:
- vigorous activities (mean of 117 min), such as jogging, cycling, and skiing; moderate activities (mean 272 min) such as physical therapy, yoga, and swimming was reported.
- In addition, an average of 75 min per week is spent on low-impact activities (leisurely walking, easy housework/gardening, balance exercises).
Citation: Langer, A., Hasenauer, S., Flotz, A., Gassner, L., Pokan, R., Dabnichki, P., Wizany, L., Gruber, J., Roth, D., Zimmel, S., Treven, M., Schmoeger, M., Willinger, U., Maetzler, W., & Zach, H. (2021). A randomised controlled trial on effectiveness and feasibility of sport climbing in Parkinson’s disease. NPJ Parkinson’s disease, 7(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-021-00193-8