Effectiveness of Home - based Physiotherapy on Berg Balance Scale Scores in Parkinson’s Disease in India: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease which leads to postural

and gait disorders, limitation in mobility, activities of daily living and disability. Although a number of

studies have shown that supervised exercise programs have short-term beneficial effects, there are few

studies addressing the effectiveness of home-based physiotherapy. Therefore, this study was done to analyze

the effects of home-based physiotherapy on balance in participants with Parkinson’s disease.

Material and Method: From January 2018 to December 2018, 44 participants who were recipients of

HealthCare at Home physiotherapy (HCAH) services across various locations were included in the main

analysis. The age ranges from 63 years to 87 years (mean age 75.18 years), average treatment cycle

duration was 74.2 days. Physiotherapy was performed for approximately 45-60 min aiming to improve

general mobility, static and dynamic balance. Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were taken as an outcome and were

recorded fortnightly.

Findings: Statistically significant improvement was seen in Berg Balance score (BBS) with mean difference

of 6.09.

Conclusion: The results of the study shows that home- based physiotherapy interventions like stretching

exercises, active assisted, active exercises, strengthening exercises, balance and gait training. were found to

have a positive effect on Berg balance scores among patients with PD.