Immediate effects of adding mental practice to physical practice on the gait of individuals with Parkinson's disease: Randomized clinical trial.
BACKGROUND
Mental practice has shown benefits in the rehabilitation of neurological patients, however, there is no evidence of immediate effects on gait of individuals with Parkinson's disease.


OBJECTIVE
Determine the effects of mental practice activity added to physical practice on the gait of individuals with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (IPD).


METHODS
20 patients classified with stage 2 and 3, according to the Hoehn and Yahr scale were randomized into 2 groups. The experimental group (N = 10) was submitted to a single session of mental practice and physical practice gait protocol and the control group (N = 10) only to physical practice. The primary outcomes were stride length and total stance and swing time. Secondary outcomes were hip range of motion, velocity and mobility. Subjects were reassessed 10 minutes, 1 day and 7 days after the end of the session.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. An intragroup difference was observed in velocity, stride length, hip range of motion, and mobility, as well as total stance and swing time. These results were also observed on follow-ups.


CONCLUSIONS
Mental practice did not have a greater effect on the gait of individuals with IPD than physical practice, after a single session.
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Lorenna Marques de Melo
LM
Santiago
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Daniel Antunes
DA
de Oliveira
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Louise Gabriella Lopes
LG
de Macêdo Ferreira
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Hyanne Yasmim
HY
de Brito Pinto
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Ana Paula
AP
Spaniol
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Larissa Coutinho
LC
de Lucena Trigueiro
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Tatiana Souza
TS
Ribeiro
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Angélica Vieira Cavalcanti
AV
de Sousa
Faculty of Medical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Maria Elisa Pimentel
ME
Piemonte
Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Ana Raquel Rodrigues
AR
Lindquist
D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008602:Mental Healing; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation*
Primary parkinsonism; motor imagery; three-dimensional gait analysis