Cycling in Parkinson's Disease

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a forced exercise aerobic exercise program, utilizing a cycling activity, on specific gait parameters and balance in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Design: pilot, feasibility, randomized control, evaluator blinded. Subjects: Twenty four patients with idiopathic PD Hoehn and Yahr (H\&Y) stage II or III. Intervention: Participants randomly assigned to one of two exercise groups, forced exercise or self selected exercise, on cycling machine three times a week for 8 weeks. Both groups to exercise at same aerobic intensity level to keep heart rate at 60-80% heart rate max. Outcomes: Gait parameters of step length, width, and variability as measured by the GAITRite; 6 Minute Walk Test; mini-BESTest (balance testing); exercise tolerance via Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scale.