Static and dynamic balance in patients with Parkinson submitted to aquatic physical therapy

Abstract

Objectives. To evaluate the static and dynamic balance of patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) who underwent aquatic physical therapy. Method. This is an experimental study that used a sample composed by 5 individuals with PD, with aged 40 to 70 years, with preserved cognitive function, controlled blood pressure and absence of diseases such as infections, epilepsy, inflammatory processes, among others. The assessment was performed using the Functional Reach Test (FR), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and the Step Test (ST). The therapeutic procedure was carried out in 5 phases: Warm-up, stretching, strengthening, balance training and relaxation. Results. Five male individuals were included, with a mean age of 67.40±8.08 years. Before treatment, a correlation was observed between TUGT and FR (r =-0.9; p=0.03), between TUGT and ST (r=0.9; p=0.03) and there was no correlation between FR and ST (r=-0.7; p=0.18). After the sessions, there was no longer a correlation between TUGT and FR (r=-0.7; p=0.18), the significant correlation remained for TUGT and ST (r=0.9; p=0.03) and without correlation between FR and ST (r=-0.4; p=0.50). Conclusions. It was found that the aquatic physical therapy does not show improvements in the static and dynamic balance, however it contributed positively to improving mobility in the land environment.