Live Stronger, Move Better: Assessing An Indoor Cycling Protocol In Reducing Parkinson’s Symptoms

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disease. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to alleviate symptoms of PD by increasing dopamine release through the application of specific forced-rate thresholds. Indoor cycling HIIT has been shown repeatedly to have a positive impact on reducing tremors and PD-specific dyskinesia. PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of a rider-specific forced rate (RSFR) HIIT indoor cycling protocol on individuals diagnosed with PD. METHODS: Participants (n = 14; 12 males, 2 females; mean age 71.9 + 8.6; Hoehn & Yahr mean 2 + 0.5) were randomly assigned to either a control (n = 6) or RSFR (n = 8) group. All subjects completed ten 45-minute sessions (2x/wk) over 5 weeks. The control group followed a traditional HIIT protocol. The RSFR group followed a HIIT protocol that calculated RPM and Watt thresholds for each participant for each session. Outcome measures included a disease impact scale (Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39), coordination test (9-Hole Peg test), and gait velocity (10 Meter Walk test). The PDQ was obtained on day 1, 5 and 10. Gait velocity and coordination were collected each session. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted between the groups for age, Hoehn & Yahr staging, and for all outcome measures (PDQ, gait velocity, or peg test) on day 1, day 5, or day 10 (p > 0.05 respectively). When the subjects were grouped together, no significant difference was noted for PDQ or gait velocity from day 1 to day 10 (p = 0.36 and 0.48 respectively). A statistically significant difference was noted from day 1 to day 10 for the peg test. The pre/post peg test means were 39.6+ 13.1 to 35.5 + 10.6 (p = 0.02) for the dominant hand and 36.9 + 9.1 to 32.8 + 6.1 (p = 0.05) for the non-dominant hand. CONCLUSION: The individually tailored (RSFR HIIT) protocol produced similar results to a traditional HIIT protocol. Both groups demonstrated improvements in their coordination over the 5-week period. Many participants noted improvements in sleep and overall energy which were not reflected on the PDQ score. Rainwater Charitable Foundation