title: Perceptive rehabilitation and trunk posture alignment in patients with Parkinson disease: a single blind randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies aimed to evaluate the potential effects of perceptive rehabilitation in Parkinson Disease reporting promising preliminary results for postural balance and pain symptoms. To date, no randomized controlled trial was carried out to compare the effects of perceptive rehabilitation and conventional treatment in patients with Parkinson Disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether a perceptive rehabilitation treatment could be more effective than a conventional physical therapy program in improving postural control and gait pattern in patients with Parkinson Disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single blind, randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of a University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty outpatients affected by idiopathic Parkinson Disease at Hoehn and Yahr stage ≤3.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recruited patients were divided into two groups: the first one underwent individual treatment with Surfaces for Perceptive Rehabilitation (Su-Per), consisting of rigid wood surfaces supporting deformable latex cones of various dimensions, and the second one received conventional group physical therapy treatment. Each patient underwent a training program consisting of ten, 45-minute sessions, three days a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Each subject was evaluated before treatment, immediately after treatment and at one month of follow-up, by an optoelectronic stereophotogrammetric system for gait and posture analysis, and by a computerized platform for stabilometric assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Kyphosis angle decreased after ten sessions of perceptive rehabilitation, thus showing a substantial difference with respect to the control group. No significant differences were found as for gait parameters (cadence, gait speed and stride length) within Su-Per group and between groups. Parameters of static and dynamic evaluation on stabilometric platform failed to demonstrate any statistically relevant difference both within-groups and between-groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceptive training may help patients affected by Parkinson Disease into restoring a correct midline perception and, in turn, to improve postural control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceptive surfaces represent an alternative to conventional rehabilitation of postural disorders in Parkinson Disease. Further studies are needed to determine if the association of perceptive treatment and active motor training would be useful in improving also gait dexterity.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy - m.morrone@unicampus.it.
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morrone
authors.affiliation: Unit of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miccinilli
authors.affiliation: Unit of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bravi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Umberto I Hospital, &quot;La Sapienza&quot; University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paolucci
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.|Movement Disorder Service, Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliera di Treviglio, Treviglio, Bergamo, Italy.
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Melgari
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salomone
authors.affiliation: Neuromotor and Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Neurological, Biomedical and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picelli
authors.affiliation: Neuromotor Rehabilitation Unit, S. Filippo Neri Hospital, &quot;La Sapienza&quot; University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ennio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spadini
authors.affiliation: INAIL, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ranavolo
authors.affiliation: Unit of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Umberto I Hospital, &quot;La Sapienza&quot; University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Saraceni
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: DI Lazzaro
authors.affiliation: Unit of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sterzi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013909:Thorax / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome