Objective: Evaluate aquatic motor skills and the terrestrial environment after a aquatic physical therapy (APT) program for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: PD is part of a group of neurological disorders, degenerative, chronic and progressive in central nervous system. Motor impairment symptoms are quite evident. The exercise has stimulated learning ability and assisted motor in the recovery of patients with PD.

Methods: They evaluated 17 participants in the terrestrial environment as the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Five Times Sit to Stand Test, walking speed, and personal data; in the aquatic environment were evaluated aquatic motor skills (AFAS, ISRAEL; PARDO, 2014). The APT used intervention phases treatment proposed by Israel and Pardo (2000). There were 32 meetings of 50 minutes each at a frequency of 2 times a week. The performance was compared participants in the experimental group (EG) (N = 7) and control group (CG) (N = 10) in terrestrial evaluation 1 (pre), 2 (post) and 3 (4 months after the intervention finish) and also the review water 1 (pre) and 2 (post) only for EG.

Results: There was no difference between groups in variables age, Hoehn and Yahr, time of diagnosis, gender, levodopa dose or variables in the evaluation 1 terrestrial. Gait velocity was statistical difference between the EG and control groups at the time of evaluation 2. The ADL with statistical benefits for EG between evaluation 1 and 2; GC reducing ADL evaluated between evaluations 1 and 3. There was no difference in Five Times Sit to Stand Test. The AFAS showed statistical significance (P: 0.004). There was no maintenance of benefits after the intervention in GE four months without APT.

Conclusions: We note that the APT program is able to modify the aquatic motor skills and some of the terrestrial motor skills in people with PD, indicating the possibility that transfer the skills of aquatic to the terrestrial environment. However, these benefits are lost if there is no continuity in APT.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/aquatic-physical-therapy-functional-motor-skills-in-people-with-parkinsons-disease/