Long-term Effects of Combined Balance and Brisk Walking on Alleviating Motor and Non-motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized with both clinical motor and non-motor features, as well as decrease in balance performance and walking endurance. The non-motor symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and fatigue wound impose negative impacts on the quality of life of the individuals with PD. Aerobic endurance training can improve physical capacity and reduce those non-motor symptoms such as mood and sleep disorders. Based on the results of our recent pilot study, brisk walking is a safe and moderate-level aerobic walking exercise for improving walking capacity in the PD population up to 6 week after treatment ended. Community-based balance training could also enhance balance performance and dual-task gait performance up to 12-month follow-up for people with PD. The primary purpose of this proposed study is to investigate the short- and long-term effects of a 6-month balance and brisk walking programme in alleviating non-motor and motor symptoms in people with PD. The secondary objective is to examine the short- and long-term effects of a 6-month balance and brisk walking program on enhancing walking capacity, balance performance, and quality of life.