title: Land Plus Aquatic Therapy Versus Land-Based Rehabilitation Alone for the Treatment of Balance Dysfunction in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study With 6-Month Follow-Up.
abstract: To assess whether a specific land-based physical intervention with the inclusion of aquatic therapy is more effective than land-based rehabilitation alone for the treatment of balance dysfunction in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), immediately after therapy and at 6 months' follow-up.
  
  
  
  Randomized controlled study with 6-month follow-up.
  
  
  
  A PD and brain injury rehabilitation department in a general hospital.
  
  
  
  Patients (N=34) with moderate-stage PD.
  
  
  
  Seventeen patients underwent a land-based rehabilitation protocol called multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation treatment (MIRT), and 17 underwent MIRT plus aquatic therapy (MIRT-AT).
  
  
  
  The primary outcome measure was the Berg Balance Scale (BBS); secondary outcome measures were the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale parts II and III (UPDRS II/III) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. These measures were assessed in both groups at admission, at discharge, and after 6 months.
  
  
  
  BBS improved after treatment in both groups. Even though no statistically significant difference between groups was observed at each observation time, BBS scores at follow-up were significantly higher than at baseline in MIRT-AT patients. Both groups also showed an improvement in UPDRS II/III and TUG at the end of treatment compared with baseline, but these findings were lost at the 6-month follow-up.
  
  
  
  Aquatic therapy added to land-based rehabilitation could provide a contribution to the treatment of balance dysfunction in patients with moderate-stage PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy. Electronic address: grazia.palamara@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palamara
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Scientific Institute of Montescano, S. Maugeri Foundation IRCCS, Montescano, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maestri
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bera
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gargantini
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bossio
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zivi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, S. Raffaele Arcangelo Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Volpe
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferrazzoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Parkinson Disease and Brain Injury Rehabilitation, "Moriggia-Pelascini" Hospital, Gravedona ed Uniti, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Frazzitta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Ataxia; Hydrotherapy; Parkinson disease; Physical and rehabilitation medicine; Rehabilitation