Exercise Increases Upper Limb Muscle Strength and Movement Accuracy in Persons with Parkinson's Disease and Normal Subjects alike

Objective: Progressive resistance exercise-reconditioning programme was applied in the past for increasing upper limb muscle strength and movement accuracy in people with Parkinsonu0027s disease (PD). However, isokinetic-based resistance reconditioning was never before used for this specific purpose. The aim of this study was to develop an eight-week progressive resistance exercise-reconditioning programme, performed using an isokinetic dynamometer, and evaluate its impact on shoulder muscle strength and upper limb accuracy of movement in patients with PD.Methods: The experimental group (EG) consisted of 11 men with PD, while the control group (CG) comprised 10 healthy men. The reconditioning programme was administered twice a week for eight weeks in both test groups.Results: At the end of the reconditioning period, the subjects’ shoulder muscle strength increased (%) compared with the baseline results: CG extensor right limb-57.9 (p=0.0005) and left limb-55.2 (p=0.001); flexor right limb-51.3 (p=0.001) and left limb-63.8 (p=0.007); EG extensor right limb-58.2 (p=0.0001) and left limb-56.5 (p=0.0002); flexor right limb-53.2 (p=0.0001) and left limb-50.2 (p=0.0003). At the end of the reconditioning period the coefficient of fatigue decreased (%): CG right limb-33.1 (p=0.011) and left limb-32.2 (p=0.04); EG right limb-14.1 (p=0.0003) and left limb-25.1 (p=0.005). At the end of the reconditioning period over the time interval from 15 to 20s the variability of motion decreased (%): CG right limb-39.9 (p=0.041) and left limb-51.0 (p=0.02); EG right limb-9.2 (p=0.021) and left limb-14.3 (p=0.022).Conclusion: An eight-week progressive resistance exercise-reconditioning programme performed using isokinetic dynamometer increased upper limbs muscle strength and movement accuracy in people with PD.