Tailoring Upper Limb Exercise Advice for People With Parkinson Disease

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of hand cycling, an upper limb aerobic exercise, on hand function in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Parkinson's Disease affects motor skills, including hand dexterity, which can impede daily activities. While aerobic exercise is known to have benefits for people with PD, the specific impact of upper limb exercises like hand cycling on hand function is less studied. Previous research suggests aerobic exercises can improve symptoms and motor function in PD. This study aims to fill the gap in understanding how hand cycling affects hand dexterity in PD. There is no placebo involved in this study as it compares two active intervention types: steady-state and high-intensity interval hand cycling. This is a block randomized parallel group clinical trial involving a single session of exercise intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: steady-state or high-intensity interval hand cycling. The study includes baseline assessments, the exercise intervention, and post-intervention assessments to evaluate changes in hand function. The primary endpoint is the time to complete the 9-hole pegboard test with the clinically more affected hand. Secondary endpoints include changes in motor examination scores, finger tapping speed, and subjective measures of exercise perception. Analysis of covariance will be used to compare the primary outcome between groups, accounting for baseline performance and clinical characteristics. The planned sample size is 20 people with PD, aiming to capture varied clinical expressions of the disease.