Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Kóra, Szilvia; Wersényi, György; Prukner, Péter; Drotár, István; Prontvai, Nándor; Kós, Petra; Tollár, József

doi:10.3390/app15115890

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Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

by

Szilvia Kóra

^1,2,3,4

,

György Wersényi

²

,

Péter Prukner

²

,

István Drotár

²,

Nándor Prontvai

^1,3

,

Petra Kós

¹

and

József Tollár

^1,2,3,*

¹

Somogy County Kaposi Mór Teaching Hospital, H-7400 Kaposvár, Hungary

²

Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, Department of Movement Therapy, Széchenyi István University, H-9026 Győr, Hungary

³

Doctoral School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, H-7621 Pécs, Hungary

⁴

Department of Theoretical Health Sciences and Health Management, Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Studies, Szeged University, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 5890; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115890

Submission received: 10 April 2025 / Revised: 20 May 2025 / Accepted: 20 May 2025 / Published: 23 May 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Virtual Reality Applications)

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Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder with no cure. In this randomized controlled study, 100 patients with PD were assigned to four intervention groups (Exergame, Cycling, Agility, and Robot) for 14 weeks. This study evaluates the effectiveness of high-intensity therapy in a randomized clinical trial. Exergaming, cycling, agility, and robot therapies improved motor function, postural stability, and cardiovascular health. Heart rate monitoring and Borg Scale ratings confirmed the safety and adaptability of high-intensity training, with patients sustaining moderate-to-high exertion without adverse effects. Significant improvements were observed in gait speed (+0.30–0.50 m/s), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) (+25–30 points), and Berg Balance Scale scores. Integrating high-intensity, functional movement-based therapies into PD rehabilitation may offer superior motor, gait, and cardiovascular benefits compared to conventional methods.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; virtual reality; high-intensity rehabilitation; neuroplasticity; physical therapy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Kóra, S.; Wersényi, G.; Prukner, P.; Drotár, I.; Prontvai, N.; Kós, P.; Tollár, J. Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 5890. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115890

AMA Style

Kóra S, Wersényi G, Prukner P, Drotár I, Prontvai N, Kós P, Tollár J. Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(11):5890. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115890

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kóra, Szilvia, György Wersényi, Péter Prukner, István Drotár, Nándor Prontvai, Petra Kós, and József Tollár. 2025. "Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients" Applied Sciences 15, no. 11: 5890. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115890

APA Style

Kóra, S., Wersényi, G., Prukner, P., Drotár, I., Prontvai, N., Kós, P., & Tollár, J. (2025). Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients. Applied Sciences, 15(11), 5890. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115890

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Effectiveness of High-Intensity Therapy in Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

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