The Effects of Whole Body Periodic Acceleration on Non-Motor Symptoms in People with Mild to Moderate Parkinson’s Disease

Aims This study assessed whether Whole Body Periodic Acceleration (WBPA) would improve non-motor symptoms in persons with Parkinson’s disease.

Study Design: Quasi experimental design using repeated measures.

Place and Duration of Study: Academic Health Care Center, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2016 – 2018.

Methodology: There were 13 participants with PD, 11 men and 2 women, with a mean age of 70.8 years. The participants were instructed to wear the activity trackers 7 days prior to, during, and 7 days after the intervention, to monitor sleep, awakenings, and step counts for 24 hours per day over 6 weeks. Additionally, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess sleep. The Patient Health Questionnaire for depressive symptoms and Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life were used to assess quality of life. Blood pressure was also monitored before and after each session.

Results: An insignificant effect between pairs of sleep in hours (P= 0. 84), awakenings (P=0.10), and activity (P=0.37), was found for the activity trackers. Significant differences were found in the results of these self-reports, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P=0.04), Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life (P=0.01), and Patient Health Questionnaire (P=0.02). Highly significant results were seen in the assessment of pre-vs post systolic BP (P=0).

Conclusion: Meaningful non motor symptom improvements were found. Systolic blood pressure was also seen to significantly decrease after the intervention. Interventions such as this may have a significant role in PD management of non-motor symptoms. Future studies to assess optimal dosing of WBPA for maximal benefit are warranted.