The Effects of a 10-Week Home-Based Exercise Programme in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study

Current restrictions on clinical visits as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for home-based exercise regimes to facilitate useful, long term patterns of behavior in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 10 week home-based exercise program designed to target improvements in axial rigidity and gait. The Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), motor scale and rigidity items, Functional axial rotation – physical (FAR-p), Functional reach test (FRT), and Time Up and Go (TUG) test were recorded. In addition, the 10-Meter Walk Test, the Fall Ef-ficacy Scale International (FES-I) and the global rating of change score (GROC) were also recorded. Eighteen individuals were divided randomly into two groups: a home-based exercise group (n = 10) and a traditional physiotherapy control group (n = 8). Participants in the 10 week home-based exercise group showed significant improvements (p