Influence of strength and power trainings on the rate of force development, functionality and balance of elderly with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Strength and power training have effectiveness in elderly with Parkinson’s disease (PD) by positively influencing their muscle functions and functional mobility (FM). Objective: To analyze the influence of lower limb muscle strength and muscle power training on rate of force development (RFD) and peak force (PF) in older adults with PD, as well as the effect of these training sessions on the FM of this population. Methods: 34 older adults of both genders without and with PD were divided into four groups: strength training control (GSC, n = 8); potency training control (GPC, n = 9); subjects with PD for strength training (GSPD, n = 8); subjects with PD for potency training (GPPD, n = 9). PF, RFD in the first 50 and 200 milliseconds (ms), and FM were assessed. Next, the participants underwent muscle strength or power training for eight consecutive weeks twice a week and were then re-evaluated. Results: The repeated measures ANOVA test showed a significant difference for PF, RFD and FM regardless of training type. Conclusion: Strength and muscle power training protocols influenced the increase in RFD, PF and FM of all participants; however, the increase in RFD in the first 200 ms was more pronounced in the groups submitted to power training and the increase in PF was more pronounced in the groups submitted to strength training.