Barre Exercise in Parkinson's

Barre Exercise for People With Parkinson Disease

This study asks if a barre exercise program is a feasible and acceptable form of exercise for individuals with Parkinson disease. The study will also evaluate barre's potential effects on motor outcomes, including balance, strength, and functional mobility.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Parkinson Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Barre exercise

Detailed Description

The primary objectives of this study are to: 1) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a barre exercise intervention and 2) gather preliminary data regarding the effect of a barre exercise intervention on balance, strength, functional mobility and quality of life in individuals with mild to moderate Parkinson disease (PD). Individuals with PD (N=15) will be recruited to participate in a pilot barre exercise class led by a certified barre instructor. The intervention will include 24, 45-50 minute group classes (twice weekly for 12 weeks, excluding holidays). Pre- and post-intervention data collection will include assessments of balance, lower extremity strength, and functional mobility.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 13
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63108
      • Washington University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• diagnosed by a neurologist with idiopathic Parkinson disease
• at least 18 years of age
• a score on the Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) scale between I-III to indicate mild to moderate disease severity
• able to provide informed consent
• able to walk for 10 continuous minutes without assistance from another person
• stable medication regimen for at least one month prior to enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

• any neurological condition other than PD
• history of orthopedic or other medical conditions that limit the ability to safely participate in the intervention or
• language, visual, or hearing barriers to participation
• evidence of dementia (Montreal Cognitive Assessment < 24) to ensure understanding of the intervention class instructions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Barre class; Barre is an exercise modality that combines elements of classical ballet with strength training. Barre involves high repetitions of low impact, isometric movements, requires little to no equipment, and is highly modifiable for different fitness levels. Barre is traditionally performed in a class setting, which promotes increased social interaction and builds community. Furthermore, interventions with dance elements exhibit high adherence rates (often > 80%).The exercises in a barre class are also performed holding on to a fixed barre or on the floor, which may address people with PD's fear of falling.

Behavioral: Barre exercise; Group barre exercise class

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Attendance	Number of participants who attended at least 75% of the classes	12 weeks
Retention (Study Completion)	Percent of participants who remained enrolled for the duration of the study	12 weeks
Acceptability	Mean group rating on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, a standardized measure using Likert-scale questions to assess self-reported satisfaction of a program. Range is 1-4, higher scores indicate higher satisfaction	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Balance	Mean change in total score on the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) from pre- to post-intervention. The Mini-BESTest is a brief, clinically relevant assessment of balance, scored on a scale from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating better balance. A negative change score reflects a decline in balance performance from pre- to post-intervention.	12 weeks
Functional Strength	Mean change in time taken to complete five sit to stand movements pre- to post- intervention, measured in seconds. Longer time indicates worse performance.	12 weeks
Gait	Mean change in gait speed pre- to post-intervention, measured in meters/second.	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 29, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 24, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): May 24, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 2, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 2, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): January 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 26, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2025
• Last Verified: June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Synucleinopathies; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Movement Disorders; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Parkinson Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202312097

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