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Turo (Qi Dance) Program for Parkinson's Disease Patients: Randomized, Assessor Blind, Waiting-List Control, Partial
Hwa-Jin Lee1, Song-Yi Kim2, Younbyoung Chae3
1Acupuncture & Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; Sub Dept. of Qigong Therapy, College of Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; Dance and Traditional Korean Medicine Science Research Center, School of Dance, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
Turo, a new qigong dance program, significantly improved Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms and quality of life in patients. This novel exercise may offer a beneficial complementary therapy for managing PD progression.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Physical Therapy
- Integrative Medicine
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder impacting motor function.
- Established exercises like Qigong, Tai Chi, and dancing show benefits for PD symptom management.
- The efficacy of Turo, a hybrid qigong dance program, for PD has not been previously investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week Turo training program in alleviating symptoms for Parkinson's disease patients.
- To assess Turo's impact on motor function, quality of life, and balance in individuals with PD.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, assessor-blind, waiting-list controlled study with partial crossover was conducted.
- 32 Parkinson's disease patients were allocated to either an immediate Turo group or a waiting-list control group.
- The Turo group underwent 8 weeks of training (60-minute sessions twice weekly); the control group received no intervention initially.
Main Results:
- The Turo group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores (P < 0.01).
- Patients in the Turo group also showed significant enhancements in perceived health status, measured by the Parkinson's disease Quality of Life questionnaire (PDQL) (P < 0.05).
- While balance function, assessed by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), showed a trend toward improvement, it did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.051).
Conclusions:
- Turo training appears to be a potentially effective intervention for improving key symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients.
- The findings suggest Turo may enhance the quality of life for individuals living with Parkinson's disease.
- Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects and optimal application of Turo in PD management.