Motor performance and habitual physical activity in individuals with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

 

Objective. To investigate the association between motor performance and habitual physical activity in individuals of mild and moderate stage of the Parkinson's disease (PD).

Method. This cross-sectional study involved subjects with PD, between stages 0 to 3 of the modified scale of Hoehn and Yahr. Motor performance tests used were: handgrip strength, evaluated by dynamometer (kg) and the test "chair stand" (seconds) (sit and standing test). The Baecke questionnaire analyzed the scores of habitual physical activity in the last 12 months (occupational physical activity - OPA; leisure time exercise - LTE; leisure and locomotion activity - LLA; and total score - TS).

Results. Thirty-six individuals with PD took part in the study (13 women). The time of the disease diagnosis was higher in individuals classified in moderate stage of PD (2-3) than in individuals on mild stage (0 -1.5) (p = 0.04). In individuals in the mild stage of the disease, the linear regression showed the association between: handgrip strength and the scores LTE (R2 = 0.31, p = 0.013) and TS (R2= 0.34, p = 0.009) of habitual physical activity; and performance in the "chair stand" test and TS (R2 = 0.46, p = 0.003) of habitual physical activity.

Conclusion. There is an association between the motor performance and total score of habitual physical activity in individuals with mild stage of the PD. The results suggest that the higher total habitual physical activity score, the better is the handgrip strength, and lesser is the runtime of "chair stand" test.