Objective: Blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low intensity cycling training can be a better alternative to high cadence cycling to improve functional performance and motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease.

Background: High cadence cycling has been shown to improve motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) but it can be perceived as strenuous and difficult to sustain.

Method: The subject was a 60 year old male with PD. Therapeutic intervention included BFR cycling on non consecutive days, 3 times/week over an 8 week period on a recumbent bike for a total of 24 sessions. Vascular restriction was achieved using blood pressure cuffs applied proximally on both the thigh and inflated to 120-160 mm of Hg with an increment of 10 mm of Hg every week. Subject was asked to pedal as self selected pace for 5 minutes and thereafter to try and maintain the cadence between 50-60 rpm for 15 minutes followed by immediate removal of cuffs. Motor function was assessed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS III) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test as primary outcomes during the off phase at day one and at the end of week 2, 4, 6 and 8.

Results: The UPDRS III score improved by a significant 16% at the end of 2^nd week with a clinically important difference of 4 points. There was an improvement of 9.52%, 10.53% and 5.88% at the end of week 4, 6 and 8 respectively. At the end of week 8 the UPDRS III score improved by 9 points. The TUG duration was significantly shorter and had improved by 4 seconds at the end of week 8 (Table 1).

Conclusion: Low intensity cycling with blood flow restriction training can be a feasible and safe strategy for improving motor function in PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/low-intensity-cycling-combined-with-blood-flow-restriction-as-a-feasible-strategy-for-improving-motor-function-in-parkinsons-disease-a-single-case-study/