Overview
Parkinson's disease can affect movement, balance, and cognitive function, potentially making daily activities more difficult. This randomized clinical trial aims to investigate whether combining virtual reality with stationary cycling produces different effects on motor and cognitive function compared with stationary cycling alone in people with Parkinson's disease.
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a control group performing stationary cycling and an intervention group performing stationary cycling while using a virtual reality headset. The intervention will consist of 12 sessions over six weeks, with two sessions per week. Each session will last 40 minutes, including 5 minutes for vital sign assessment before exercise, 30 minutes of cycling, and 5 minutes for vital sign reassessment after exercise.
Assessments will be conducted before the intervention, immediately after the six-week program, and at follow-up. The study will examine whether adding virtual reality to stationary cycling may be a useful approach for rehabilitation in people with Parkinson's disease.
Description
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder associated with motor impairments and may also affect cognitive function. Rehabilitation strategies involving physical exercise may help address functional limitations in this population. Virtual reality is a technology that provides interactive and immersive environments and may be used to complement conventional exercise-based rehabilitation.
This randomized clinical trial will investigate the effects of stationary cycling combined with virtual reality on motor and cognitive function in people with Parkinson's disease. The study will compare the combined intervention with stationary cycling alone to examine whether the addition of virtual reality is associated with different outcomes.
Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two study groups. The control group will perform stationary cycling without virtual reality, while the intervention group will perform stationary cycling while using a virtual reality headset. Both groups will follow the same intervention schedule: two sessions per week for six weeks, for a total of 12 sessions.
Each session will last 40 minutes. The first five minutes will be used to assess vital signs before exercise, followed by 30 minutes of stationary cycling. The final five minutes will be used to reassess vital signs after exercise. The intervention procedures will be conducted according to the study protocol.
Study assessments will take place at baseline, immediately after completion of the six-week intervention, and at follow-up. These assessments will be used to evaluate changes in motor and cognitive function and other clinical outcomes specified in the study protocol. The comparison between groups and across assessment time points will help determine whether the addition of virtual reality to stationary cycling is associated with different outcomes compared with stationary cycling alone.
The study is expected to contribute evidence regarding the potential role of virtual reality as an adjunct to exercise-based rehabilitation for people with Parkinson's disease.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male and female participants aged 50 to 80 years.
- Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease confirmed by a medical report.
- Hoehn and Yahr stages 1 to 3.
- Stable medication regimen during the month preceding the start of the interventions.
- Ability to walk independently.
- Willingness to participate in the study and provide written informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Other neurological, orthopedic, or cardiorespiratory conditions that prevent participation in the virtual reality intervention.
- Current participation in physical therapy and/or other physical activities that could confound the study results.
- Low vision or blindness that prevents participation in the virtual reality intervention.
