Does the backward treadmill walking exert influence on ambulatory ability in early Parkinson's disease?

It is important in the treatment of patients with early Parkinson's disease to maintain physical fitness. The purpose of this study was to examine ambulatory ability and daily living activities in early Parkinson's disease patients, and determine the influence of backward treadmill walking training on them. The training was executed once a week with a practice time of ten minutes. The subjects (n = 23) walked backward with a handrail for support, at a comfortable walking speed of 1.13-1.93 km/h (0.7-1.2 mile/h), and the inclination was 3%. Patients' maximum walking speed after 12 weeks training increased significantly from 1.55 m/sec to 1.77 m/sec when compared with before training, and 6 MD also increased significantly from 352.5 in to 415.0 in. We concluded that backward treadmill walking is beneficial for early Parkinson's disease patients.