The effect of Thai dance exercise program on functional performance and quality of life in the patients with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to explore the feasibility and acceptability of Thai dance exercise program as well as its impact on the Parkinson’s disease patients (study 1) and to assess the impact of Thai dance exercise program and its retention between on time and off time in the Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients (study 2). A series of 36 Thai dance sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, was designed for the study. Basic movements (mae tha) of Thai classical dance were specifically selected to meet the therapeutic needs of people with Parkinson’s disease whose movements were impaired by the disease. Functional mobility and quality of life were assessed by administering the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) subscales II and III, Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Berg Balance Score (BBS), 360 turning and the 8-item Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ8). Gait parameters (step length, stride length, velocity and cadence) were assessed by walking along the carpet and computerized GAITRite walkway. In study 1, all parameters were assessed (on time) before and after the 12-week program while in study 2, all parameters were assessed (on and off time) before and after 12-week program and also at 2 months followed-up. Patients receiving care at the Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders, Chulalongkorn Hospital were recruited for the study. They were divided into Thai dance group (TG) and control group (CG) by voluntary enrollment. The patients in TG attended the Thai dance exercise program 3 times a week for 12 weeks whereas the CG did not attend the Thai dance exercise program. The results of study 1 (only 20 completed patients, TG=10 and CG=10) indicated that, there were significant improvements in all of the functional mobility and quality of life parameters in TG as calculated by the paired t-test. Moreover, there were significant differences between TG and CG in all of the parameters as calculated by the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results in study 2 (only 20 completed patients, TG=11 and CG=9), There were significant improvements in all parameters of the Thai dance group (on time) after participating in specifically designed Thai dance exercise program and there were also significant differences in UPDRS subscale III, TUG, BBS, PDQ8, stride length (Lt.) and gait velocity at 2 months follow-up while step length (Rt.) was decreased significantly from post-test value. In Thai dance group (off time) was found that there was only significant difference among baseline, post-test and 2-month follow-up in UPDRS III. No significant differences were found in the other parameters. The overall results in Control group (on and off time) indicated that there were no significant differences in any parameters. When practiced regularly, Thai dance could lead to improvements in motor functions and quality of life of the participants. Furthermore, dance-based exercise is reported to be enjoyable and may be performed alone or in a group without any special equipment.