Effects of Exercise-based Management on Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease - A Meta-analysis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurological illness after Alzheimer's disease. According to research, medication alone can give palliative alleviation; however, freezing of gait (FOG) and balance can be treated with physical therapy. This meta-analysis aims to bridge gaps about exercise-based therapy's impact on balance and FOG in patients with PD. Google Scholar, CINHAL, Medline, PubMed, and PEDro were searched for 2016-2021 citations using the PIOD paradigm. Pooled effect size mean and SD were analysed using a fixed and random effects model. A total of 21 trials were included in this review, with SMD=0.60 and p=0.0007 utilising BBS. The pooled analysis revealed statistically significant impacts on exercise-based management in the experimental group. With SMD=0.87 and p<0.00001 using Mini-BESTest, the pooled analysis revealed that exercise-based management was also effective on balance in the experimental group. The fixed effect model of FOG in terms of SMD was used to draw the pooled effects of FOG in terms of SMD and FOG in terms of SMD (0.21; 95 percent CI -0.01 to 0.44; p=0.06). According to this research, several physiotherapy approaches such as exergaming, gamepad systems, virtual reality, gait exercises, and core training, help Parkinson's patients regain balance and FOG. Key Words: Parkinson's disease, Physical therapy techniques, Neurological rehabilitation, Balance, Freezing of gait, Motor symptoms.