Systematic review of physical therapy interventions for pain relief in Parkinson's disease

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Created On: 30/11/2023

This study was conducted to assess and analyze the various physical therapy interventions for alleviating pain in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

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Key take away

In people with Parkinson's disease, the use of land and aquatic physical therapy is associated with improvements in pain levels.

Background

This study was conducted to assess and analyze the various physical therapy interventions for alleviating pain in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Method

A systematic review adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was carried out by searching multiple databases including PEDro, PubMed, SciELO, and Science Direct. Specific keywords like “Parkinson's disease”, “pain”, “physical therapy”, “hydrotherapy”, “aquatic therapy”, and “pain management”.

The inclusion criteria employed encompassed the following aspects:

The inclusion of both randomized and non-randomized clinical trials.
Consideration of publications within the past decade, aligning with current literature recommendations, discussions, and limitations.
Acceptance of studies conducted in either English or Portuguese, the primary languages of scientific research and the researchers' respective countries.
Inclusion of participants with a diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, encompassing a significant portion of this population.
Incorporation of studies utilizing a pain measurement instrument.
Inclusion of studies involving physiotherapeutic interventions.

The primary focus of interest was the assessment of self-reported pain intensity, utilizing instruments such as the visual analog scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain, Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and Pain-O-Meter.

Result

After applying the inclusion criteria, 9 clinical trials were identified. These trials included a combined total of 242 volunteers diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. These individuals underwent various forms of physical therapy interventions and techniques, including massage, electroacupuncture, gait training with body weight support, physical therapy exercises, and hydrotherapy.

Conclusion

All the studies reported favorable outcomes for physical therapy interventions in alleviating pain in Parkinson's disease. Both land-based and aquatic physical therapy approaches were effective in improving pain levels among Parkinson's disease patients. Nevertheless, to establish the long-term sustainability of these effects, further investigations involving larger study populations and extended follow-up periods are warranted.