Barre Exercise in Parkinson's

Phase 1

Completed

Brief Summary: This study asks if a barre exercise program is a feasible and acceptable form of exercise for individuals with Parkinson disease. The study will also evaluate barre's potential effects on motor outcomes, including balance, strength, and functional mobility.

Detailed Description: The primary objectives of this study are to: 1) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a barre exercise intervention and 2) gather preliminary data regarding the effect of a barre exercise intervention on balance, strength, functional mobility and quality of life in individuals with mild to moderate Parkinson disease (PD). Individuals with PD (N=15) will be recruited to participate in a pilot barre exercise class led by a certified barre instructor. The intervention will include 24, 45-50 minute group classes (twice weekly for 12 weeks, excluding holidays). Pre- and post-intervention data collection will include assessments of balance, lower extremity strength, and functional mobility.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

diagnosed by a neurologist with idiopathic Parkinson disease
at least 18 years of age
a score on the Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) scale between I-III to indicate mild to moderate disease severity
able to provide informed consent
able to walk for 10 continuous minutes without assistance from another person
stable medication regimen for at least one month prior to enrollment

Exclusion Criteria

any neurological condition other than PD
history of orthopedic or other medical conditions that limit the ability to safely participate in the intervention or
language, visual, or hearing barriers to participation
evidence of dementia (Montreal Cognitive Assessment < 24) to ensure understanding of the intervention class instructions

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Attendance	12 weeks	Number of participants who attended at least 75% of the classes
Retention (Study Completion)	12 weeks	Percent of participants who remained enrolled for the duration of the study
Acceptability	12 weeks	Mean group rating on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, a standardized measure using Likert-scale questions to assess self-reported satisfaction of a program. Range is 1-4, higher scores indicate higher satisfaction

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Functional Strength	12 weeks	Mean change in time taken to complete five sit to stand movements pre- to post- intervention, measured in seconds. Longer time indicates worse performance.
Gait	12 weeks	Mean change in gait speed pre- to post-intervention, measured in meters/second.
Balance	12 weeks	Mean change in total score on the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) from pre- to post-intervention. The Mini-BESTest is a brief, clinically relevant assessment of balance, scored on a scale from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating better balance. A negative change score reflects a decline in balance performance from pre- to post-intervention.

Locations (1): Washington University School of Medicine
🇺🇸
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Washington University School of Medicine
🇺🇸Saint Louis, Missouri, United States