Effects of Manual Therapy on Parkinson’s Gait: A Systematic Review
Arnaud Delafontaine,
Thomas Vialleron,
Gaëtan Barbier,
Arnaud Lardon,
Mélodie Barrière,
María García-Escudero,
Laurent Fabeck,
Martin Descarreaux
Affiliations
Arnaud Delafontaine
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Thomas Vialleron
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire en Neurosciences, Physiologie et Psychologie: Activité Physique, Santé et Apprentissages (LINP2), UFR STAPS, Université Paris Nanterre, 92000 Nanterre, France
Gaëtan Barbier
Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropraxie, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Arnaud Lardon
Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropraxie, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Mélodie Barrière
Department of Sciences of Physical Activity, Université Québec Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada
María García-Escudero
Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université Catholique de Valence, San Vicente Martir, 46900 Valence, Spain
Laurent Fabeck
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Martin Descarreaux
Department of Sciences of Physical Activity, Université Québec Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada
Manual therapy (MT) is commonly used in rehabilitation to deal with motor impairments in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, is MT an efficient method to improve gait in PD? To answer the question, a systematic review of clinical controlled trials was conducted. Estimates of effect sizes (reported as standard mean difference (SMD)) with their respective 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were reported for each outcome when sufficient data were available. If data were lacking, p values were reported. The PEDro scale was used for the quality assessment. Three studies were included in the review. MT improved Dynamic Gait Index (SMD = 1.47; 95% CI: 0.62, 2.32; PEDro score: 5/10, moderate level of evidence). MT also improved gait performances in terms of stride length, velocity of arm movements, linear velocities of the shoulder and the hip (p p > 0.05; PEDro score: 6/10, moderate level of evidence). There is no strong level of evidence supporting the beneficial effect of MT to improve gait in PD. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to understand the impact of MT on gait in PD.
