Walking best for Parkinson's patients

HONOLULU, April 14 (UPI) -- Parkinson's patients using a treadmill at a comfortable speed benefitted more than patients who walked at an increased speed and incline, U.S. researchers said.

Principal investigator Dr. Lisa Shulman of University of Maryland School of Medicine and colleagues compared 67 people with Parkinson's disease randomly assigned to one of three exercise groups.

One group walked on a treadmill at low intensity for 50 minutes, another did higher-intensity treadmill training to improve cardiovascular fitness for 30 minutes and the third group used weights -- leg presses, extensions and curls -- and stretching exercises to improve muscle strength and range of motion. All participants exercised three times a week for three months under the supervision of exercise physiologists at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, Schulman says.

"We saw positive effects with all three types of exercise, but the low-intensity training showed the most consistent improvement in gait and mobility," Shulman says in a statement.

The findings were presented at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Honolulu.