Document Type : Original article
Authors
1
Department of Sport Science, University of Shahid Beheshti Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Health and Sport Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Science and Health, Shahid Beheshti Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Corrective Exercises and Sports Injuries, Faculty of Physical Educational and Sport Sciences, Shahid Behshti University, Tehran, Iran.
4
Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background and Aims: The most important problems with Parkinson's disease are hand tremor and manual dexterity. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of a course of resistance training on hand tremor and manual dexterity in people with Parkinson's disease
Materials and Methods: In this research, 40 patients from Rasool Akram Hospital are selected with a mean age of 66/3± 4/15. The selected patients are divided into two groups, including the training group using Powerball (n=20) and the control groups (n=20). After taking the pre-test (shaking and hand movement skills) for both groups, the training group performed their defined training protocol for 8 weeks and 3 times per week. Then, both groups are post-test and their data are compared and analyzed. The Shapiro–Wilk test is used to test of normality of data. The Wilcoxon test is used to compare two groups and see whether they are significantly different from each other in terms of the variable of interest. Also, the Mann-Whitney U test is used to compare differences between two independent groups.
Results: The hand tremor results show that there was no significant difference between the training and control groups while the mean intensity tremor frequency in the training group was significantly reduced compared to the control group (z = -3.43). Moreover, no change in the postural tremor was observed in any of the groups after eight weeks of training. The hand dexterity results showed that there was a significant difference between the training group and the control group in all four sub-tests of manual dexterity (i.e., superior hand, non-superior hand, two hands, and assembly). Statistical significance was considered at (p-value <0.05).
Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be said that training using Powerball can be effective in improving rest tremor and also improving manual dexterity. It's worth that hand tremor and manual dexterity are two important factors for daily activities in people with Parkinson's disease.
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