2015/07/06 by Luisa Roeder, Joseph T. Costello, Simon S. Smith +2 · 1 citation
Health Professions · Medicine · #Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention #Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments #Parkinson's Disease and Spinal Disorders #Medicine #Meta-analysis #Physical therapy #Subgroup analysis #Confidence interval #Physical strength #Balance (ability) #Randomized controlled trial #Leg press #Strength training #Physical medicine and rehabilitation #Resistance training #Internal medicine
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132135
openalex publication_date 2015/07/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the overall effect of resistance training (RT) on measures of muscular strength in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: Controlled trials with parallel-group-design were identified from computerized literature searching and citation tracking performed until August 2014. Two reviewers independently screened for eligibility and assessed the quality of the studies using the Cochrane risk-of-bias-tool. For each study, mean differences (MD) or standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for continuous outcomes based on between-group comparisons using post-intervention data. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on differences in study design. RESULTS: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria; all had a moderate to high risk of bias. Pooled data showed that knee extension, knee flexion and leg press strength were significantly greater in PD patients who undertook RT compared to control groups with or without interventions. Subgroups were: RT vs. control-without-intervention, RT vs. control-with-intervention, RT-with-other-form-of-exercise vs. control-without-intervention, RT-with-other-form-of-exercise vs. control-with-intervention. Pooled subgroup analysis showed that RT combined with aerobic/balance/stretching exercise resulted in significantly greater knee extension, knee flexion and leg press strength compared with no-intervention. Compared to treadmill or balance exercise it resulted in greater knee flexion, but not knee extension or leg press strength. RT alone resulted in greater knee extension and flexion strength compared to stretching, but not in greater leg press strength compared to no-intervention. DISCUSSION: Overall, the current evidence suggests that exercise interventions that contain RT may be effective in improving muscular strength in people with PD compared with no exercise. However, depending on muscle group and/or training dose, RT may not be superior to other exercise types. Interventions which combine RT with other exercise may be most effective. Findings should be interpreted with caution due to the relatively high risk of bias of most studies.