Effects of Rock Climbing on Parkinson's Disease

This research study is being conducted to understand the outcomes of participation in the Up ENDing Parkinson's rock climbing program (24 sessions, or twice per week for about 12 weeks) on walking & mobility, hand strength & dexterity, and psychological well-being in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The rock climbing sessions are administered and supervised by Up ENDing Parkinson's, and are tailored to the skill level of the participant. Participants will answer questionnaires and complete physical performance tests twice, first prior to beginning the sessions and then again after the 24 sessions have been completed.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Parkinson Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: rock climbing

Detailed Description

Parkinson's disease (PD) compromises multiple systems (neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, cognitive) over time, leading to functional decline. Additionally, individuals with PD may experience stressors commonly associated with chronic illness that can negatively impact psychological well-being. Exercise is commonly prescribed for individuals with PD and recently, interventions that are vigorous in nature and community- and performance-based are gaining traction (e.g., dancing, boxing, rock climbing). Despite increasing popularity, the evidence-base for these programs is still developing and far from conclusive. Recommendations are strong for: Community-based exercise, intensive aerobic and resistance training, and external cueing (Osborne et al., 2022). Rock climbing (RC) contains each of these elements and could potentially be a therapeutic intervention for people with PD. Yet little is known about the outcomes of this particular form of organized physical activity programs for this health condition. One such program is the rock climbing experiences offered by the UpENDing Parkinson's Rock Climbing (UEPRC).

The specific aims of this study are to characterize the effects of UEPRC on: 1) mobility and walking; 2) upper extremity (UE) functioning and 3) psychological and social well-being.

Participants will complete 24 rock climbing sessions tailored to their skill levels supervised by UEPRC over approximately 12 weeks.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Julie D Ries, PhD; Phone Number: 703-284-5983; Email: jries@marymount.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Virginia
    • Arlington, Virginia, United States, 22201
      • Recruiting
      • Marymount University
      • Contact: Julie Ries, PhD; Phone Number: 703-284-5983; Email: jries@marymount.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults over the age of 18 with mild-to moderate idiopathic Parkinson's disease

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• at least 18 years old
• Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
• Hoehn & Yahr score 1-3
• able to speak and read in English;
• able to ambulate at least 10 meters with no assistive device or human assistance

Exclusion Criteria:

• neurological disease diagnosis other than PD;
• uncontrolled cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, or metabolic disease which may impact the ability to exercise or in which exercise is contraindicated;
• cognitive or psychiatric impairment precluding informed consent or ability to following instructions;
• pregnancy;
• inability to ambulate 10 meters without assistive device or human assistance

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Community Mobility and Ambulation	Test of specific tasks to be accomplished to walk forward on a level surface safely and efficiently as evidence by the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CBMS). CBMS is scored from 0-96 with higher scores denoting better performance.	Baseline and at 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Agility	Test of the ability to move forward, laterally, and backward on a level surface safely and efficiently as evidence by the Agility T-Test.	Baseline and at 12 weeks
Change in Dexterity	This test assesses upper extremity dexterity by assessing the time it takes to remove 9 pegs from a tray and place in peg holes and then remove pegs and place them back in tray as measured by the 9-Hole Peg Test.	Baseline and at 12 weeks
Change in Reaction Time	This test assesses combined cognitive and physical reaction time to initiate a movement response utilizing colored light stimuli as evidenced by using Blaze Pods.	Baseline and at 12 weeks
Change in Apathy	This survey addresses lack of emotion, interest, concern, or recognition of goals by measuring levels of participant's interest, motivation, and engagement as evidenced by the Starkstein Apathy Scale. The Starkstein Apathy Scale scores range from 0-42 with higher scores representing greater levels of apathy.	Baseline and at 12 weeks
Change in Resilience	This survey measures one's ability to thrive in the face of adversity as evidenced by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC-25). CD-RISC-25 scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating greater resilience.	Baseline and at 12 weeks
Change in Social Adaptation	This survey measures motivation and behavior as related to work and hobbies, family and relationships, and social situations as evidenced by the Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation Scale (SAS). SAS scores range from 0-63 with higher scores representing better social adaptation.	Baseline and at 12 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Grip strength	Measure of force production in the dominant hand using a hand-held dynamometer. The score is force output in pounds, with higher force output representing greater strength.	Baseline and at 12 weeks
Change in Quality of Life across Multiple Dimensions: Perception of difficulty with daily life across 8 dimensions of daily living	This survey is a multidimensional survey covering mobility, activities of daily living, emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognition, communication, and bodily discomfort as evidenced by the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39). PDQ-39 provides scores from 0-100 in each of the 8 domains listed and an overall Summary Index score from 0-100. Lower scores reflect better quality of life.	Baseline and at 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Marymount University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Julie D Ries, PhD, Marymount University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Osborne JA, Botkin R, Colon-Semenza C, DeAngelis TR, Gallardo OG, Kosakowski H, Martello J, Pradhan S, Rafferty M, Readinger JL, Whitt AL, Ellis TD. Physical Therapist Management of Parkinson Disease: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Physical Therapy Association. Phys Ther. 2022 Apr 1;102(4):pzab302. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzab302. Erratum In: Phys Ther. 2022 Aug 1;102(8):

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 12, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 15, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 23, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): June 26, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 13, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 12, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Parkinson Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: 831

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No