Aquatic aerobic exercise prescription in Parkinson's disease: A scoping review

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons causing motor and non-motor changes that lead to reduced quality of life and functionality. Among the therapeutic strategies used, aquatic aerobic exercise has shown potential effects in stabilizing symptoms and disease progression. However, the development of exercise-based therapies requires an accurate prescription, and, in this regard, there are gaps in the literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the scientific literature on the prescription of aquatic aerobic exercises for individuals with PD, duration, types of exercises intervention, forms of intensity control and main outcomes analyzed assessed.

This review was conducted based on PRISMA-ScR and was registered in the Open Science Framework. Studies published in the last 10 years were selected from the following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Sciencedirect and Web of Science. As inclusion criteria, studies that described aquatic aerobic exercise programs were selected. The study selection was conducted using the StArt platform, and data related to the types of exercises intervention, duration, intensity control and outcomes were extracted and analyzed.

In total, 1642 studies were identified and following the eligibility criteria, 9 studies were selected. The sample included 215 people with PD between stages 1-4 of the Hoehn Yahr scale.

There is currently no standardized prescription for aerobic training, therefore further studies are required.