Effect of a Progressive Treadmill Training Protocol for Parkinson's Disease

Summary

The primary objective of this single-center, no-profit, longitudinal interventional randomized controlled, single-blind trial is to compare the effects of 2 different treadmill training treatments using C-Mill: the experimental one, endowed with augmented virtual reality (AVR) applications, versus the conventional one, the standard treadmill training in PD patients with gait and or balance disturbances. The main questions the study aims to answer are 1) Is the experimental treatment more effective than the conventional one? 2) Is it possible to identify predictive and indicative biomarkers of an outcome measure of rehabilitation using extracellular vesicles (cEVs) assessed by Raman spectroscopy? Participants will be randomized into two groups: the experimental group that will receive the experimental intervention, and the control group that will receive the conventional intervention. Both groups will train three times per week for 8 weeks, the first session starting from 25 minutes (25'). The experimental and the conventional treatments are planned to be progressive and will be individualized to the participant's level of performance.

Clinical, neuropsychological, and instrumental variables will be collected at baseline (T0), at the end of the treatment (T1), and 3 months after the end of treatment (T2). At 6 months after the end of treatment (T3), a phone interview will be performed. Both within-group and between-group analyses will be conducted. Biosamples will be collected at baseline (T0) and at the end of treatment (T1).

Conditions

• Parkinson Disease
• Gait, Festinating
• Fall Due to Loss of Equilibrium
• Gait, Unsteady
• Gait, Shuffling

Interventions

DEVICE

AVR Treadmill training with C-Mill

The protocol will include three sessions per week for 8 weeks of gait training using C-Mill with AVR applications. An anchoring system will prevent possible falls, activities will be stopped on patient request, or when a heart rate considered safe will be exceeded. The patient will be supervised by a physical therapist and asked not to use lateral bars. Treatment is planned to be progressive and will be individualized to the participant's level of performance. Progression in gait speed: at the training start, gait speed will be set at 80% of the individual's overground walking speed and weekly increased by 10%, to a maximum of 120%; progression in trial duration: at the training start the duration will be set at 25' and every two weeks increased by 5'; the maximum duration of a session will reach 45'; progression in difficulty: the protocol has 5 levels for each AVR application, and the transition among levels will be set at 80% success achievement.

DEVICE

Conventional Treadmill training with C-Mill

The protocol will include three sessions per week for 8 weeks of gait training using C-Mill without AVR applications, walking on the treadmill. An anchoring system will prevent possible falls, activities will be stopped on patient request, or when a heart rate considered safe will be exceeded. All sessions will be supervised by a physical therapist, who will give guidance and standardized cues on walking patterns (e.g., step length). The patient will be asked not to use the lateral bars. Treatment is planned to be progressive and will be individualized to the participant's level of performance: progression in gait speed: at the training start, gait speed will be set at 80% of the individual's overground walking speed and weekly increased by 10%, to a maximum of 120%; progression in trial duration: at the training start the duration will be set at 25' and every two weeks increased by 5'; the maximum duration of a session will reach 45'.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Florence

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-07-06

Primary Completion

2023-12-01

Completion

2023-12-31

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations