Evaluating climbing interventions for Parkinson's disease: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Exercise Science
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Exercise is crucial for managing Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms and progression.
• Climbing offers unique physical demands potentially beneficial for PD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate climbing-based interventions for individuals with Parkinson's disease.
• To synthesize current evidence on the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of climbing for PD.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search conducted across major academic databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar).
• Included five articles from three studies involving 102 participants with PD.
• Assessed risk of bias using the Methodological Quality of Exercise Training Studies Scale and employed narrative synthesis.

Main Results:

• Climbing was found to be an acceptable and feasible exercise for people with PD.
• Evidence suggests climbing may ameliorate motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, including those detected by wearable technology.
• Participant experiences and effects on non-motor symptoms require further investigation.

Conclusions:

• Climbing shows promise as a therapeutic exercise for Parkinson's disease, particularly for motor symptoms.
• Current literature is limited by small sample sizes and few studies.
• Future research should explore different climbing modalities, compare climbing to other interventions, and examine non-motor outcomes.