The effectiveness of physical activity to increase strength and motor control during daily occupations in adults diagnosed with Parkinsons disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is ranked the 2nd most common progressive neurodegenerative disease in the world. With over 10 million people in the world living with PD, most 60 and older, conservative treatments to help combat the motor dysfunctional symptoms that are associated with PD are in great need. These motor impairments include bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity, and postural instability which can greatly impact an individual’s ability to function throughout their day safely and efficiently. We were able to find strong evidence that interventions that focused on physical activity were able to help improve individuals with PD's balance and functional mobility, improve motor control, and improve confidence in functional tasks and quality of life. This will be beneficial to occupational and physical therapists as they can use this information to help tailor their treatments sessions an increase their patients therapeutic potential through the decrease of these debilitating symptoms.