Effects of Physical Therapy on Gait Parameters in Patients With Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease is a progressive neurologic disorder characterized by motor impairments which alter the walking capacity, and lead to reduced walking speed, decreased stride length and increased double support time. Physical therapy interventions are an important part of the non-pharmacological treatment for Parkinson disease. The purpose of this study is to assess whether there is a different outcome regarding improvement of gait parameters, when applying a physical therapy program in an individual or in a group manner. The study setting is the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj county, Romania. Patients will be randomly divided into 2 groups, and were prescribed either individual (1 patient and 1 physical therapist) or group physical therapy (6 patients and 1 physical therapist). Treatment protocol includes 10 sessions of physical therapy, in the same room setting and performed the same routine of exercises, except for the 3 breaks during the sessions in the group therapy for informal socialization. Walking speed will be measured by two validated instruments, the 6-minute walk test and the 10-meter walk test, before and after treatment.