Exercise on a fitness bike may help improve motor function in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease , which causes muscle stiffness and tremors, is a common disease affecting many people, but no fundamental cure has yet been found, and research is ongoing worldwide. A 2019 study by a research team at Radboud University in the Netherlands showed that exercise using a bicycle-type training device (fitness bike) can improve the motor function of Parkinson's disease patients.

Effectiveness of home-based and remotely supervised aerobic exercise in Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial - The Lancet Neurology
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(19)30285-6/abstract

Exercising at home has a positive effect on Parkinson's patients - Radboudumc
https://www.radboudumc.nl/en/news/2019/exercising-at-home-has-a-positive-effect-on-parkinson

The research team analyzed the progress of health status of patients in the early stages of Parkinson's disease by dividing them into two groups: one group that only did stretching exercises and one group that did 30 to 45 minutes of exercise on a fitness bike at least three times a week.

Both groups used apps designed to motivate them to exercise, and the exercise bike group also received support to make exercise more enjoyable, including the ability to compete against their own past records and those of other participants. This combination of motivational techniques is called 'exergaming.'

The results of the six-month trial showed that the group that used the exercise bike had an improvement in their motor impairment. The group that used the exercise bike had a 4.2-point reduction in their Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) score compared to the stretching group. This is the same effect as taking Parkinson's disease medication.

'We were very surprised that Parkinson's disease patients were able to continue the exercise program for such a long period of time. The effects on movement disorders were also clinically significant, demonstrating that exercise is a very useful option,' said Nicolien M. van der Kolk, a member of the research team. Professor Bastiaan R. Bloem added, 'The results of this study demonstrate that the exergaming approach can be applied to a variety of diseases that may benefit from regular exercise, and suggest that the exergaming approach is highly suitable for long-term improvement of motor behavior.'