Neurofunctional physiotherapy in the rehabilitation of gait and balance in patients with parkinson’s: integrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that compromises the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, resulting in motor and non-motor changes. Gait changes are one of the most impactful. Objective: A literature survey was carried out on the physiotherapeutic resources used to improve balance and gait patterns in patients with Parkinson's. Methods:  This is an integrative review whose research question was: “What are the physiotherapeutic interventions used to improve balance and gait pattern in patients with Parkinson’s?”. The search was carried out in the PubMed, PEDro and Scielo databases and studies from the last 5 years were selected. Results: A total of 72 studies were found, 11 of which were included. The studies found show that there are significant results in relation to the use of the following physiotherapeutic resources: Motor imagery, observation and action, versatile based on guidelines, balance with visual feedback, attentional and motor control, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rhythmic auditory stimuli, training of resistance adapted with instability, cognitive dual-task gait and motor dual-task gait. Conclusion: It was seen that Neurofunctional Physiotherapy is indispensable for patients with Parkinson's disease and brings positive gains in balance and gait through various interventions such as cognitive agility training, gait training, dual task and rhythmic and visual stimulations. Furthermore, there were also significant results in postural improvement and reduction in falls.