Trunk Control Exercises and Mirror Therapy on Balance and Posture in Parkinson's Disease

May 21, 2026 updated by: University of Lahore

Effects of Trunk Control Exercises and Mirror Therapy on Balance and Posture in Patients With Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time. As nerve cells (neurons) in parts of the brain weaken or are damaged or die, people may begin to notice problems with movement, tremor, stiffness in the limbs or the trunk of the body, or impaired balance. As these symptoms become more obvious, people may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. Not everyone with one or more of these symptoms has PD, as the symptoms appear in other diseases as well.

Both non-modifiable (age, gender) and modifiable risk factors such as occupation, exposure to pesticides, and depression have an association with PD. Several studies have suggested that Parkinson disease is more common in men. The MT mechanism is based on the concept of visual illusion. The movement of the non-paretic part in front of the mirror (reflective side) is perceived as that of the paretic body part (hidden beside the mirror). MT allows an individual to have an experience of normal movement, even for the severely paralyzed limb. In addition, wherever other rehabilitation methods fail to induce normal movements without any compensation, MT may act as a foundation step for further motor therapy. The perception of movement illusion, a neuropsychological phenomenon may induce neural activation of the lesioned brain and enhance associated motor recovery. Therefore the aim of this study is to compare the effects of truck control exercise program and mirror therapy on balance and postural instability in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Parkinson's disease (PD) is movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time. As nerve cells (neurons) in parts of the brain weaken or are damaged or die, people may begin to notice problems with movement, tremor, stiffness in the limbs or the trunk of the body, or impaired balance. As these symptoms become more obvious, people may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks. Not everyone with one or more of these symptoms has PD, as the symptoms appear in other diseases as well. Both non-modifiable (age, gender) and modifiable risk factors such as occupation, exposure to pesticides, and depression have an association with PD. Several studies have suggested that Parkinson disease is more common in men. The MT mechanism is based on the concept of visual illusion. The movement of the non-paretic part in front of the mirror (reflective side) is perceived as that of the paretic body part (hidden beside the mirror). MT allows an individual to have an experience of normal movement, even for the severely paralyzed limb. In addition, wherever other rehabilitation methods fail to induce normal movements without any compensation, MT may act as a foundation step for further motor therapy. The perception of movement illusion, a neuropsychological phenomenon may induce neural activation of the lesioned brain and enhance associated motor recovery. Therefore the aim of this study is to compare the effects of truck control exercise program and mirror therapy on balance and postural instability in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Screening: Patients will be screened to meet inclusion criteria. The consent form will be taken from patients then patients will be randomly allocated into two groups (28 in each group). Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria will be randomly divided into experimental and control groups using the computer software. The study will be single-blinded. The assessor will be unaware of the treatment given to both groups. Data will be collected at baseline and then at the end of the sixth week. Before applying intervention, Berg Balance scale will be used to measure level of balance and goniometer will be used to measure two-dimensional angular deviations between the pelvis and the upper part of the trunk.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

36

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
        • Recruiting
        • Nimra Nadeem
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Nimra Nadeem, MS-MSK

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • 50-70 age(Bomasang-Layno et al., 2015)

    • Both genders (Bomasang-Layno et al., 2015)
    • Patient with grade 1,2,3 Parkinsonism (according to Hoehn and Yahr scale)
    • Patient taking fixed dose of medicines
    • No cognitive impairment (according to Mini-Mental scale 24-30 scoring) (Capecci et al., 2014)
    • The patient was able to get out of chairs and beds without assistance (Hoffmann et al., 2016).
    • Individuals without significant dyskinesias or "on-off" periods.(Lötzke et al., 2015)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Patient having any recent episode of epilepsy(Bomasang-Layno et al., 2015)

    • Patient has had any recent trauma. (Hong et al., 2009)
    • Individuals free from chronic diseases such as unstable cardiovascular disease that could compromise their safety during training or testing (Hoffmann et al., 2016).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Trunk control exercise
The participants will complete balance exercises which targeted their feedforward along with feedback postural reflexes. The exercise program will include three different groups of tasks: self-destabilizing movements such as rolling on the toes and bouncing a ball while walking as well as external destabilization tasks like balancing on foam surfaces and therapist-performed perturbations and coordinated arm movements during walking. The patients will undergo ten specific movements per session and medical staff raised the exercise difficulty level as they made improvement. The principal investigator will provide verbal instruction together with physical help if required.
Other: Trunk control exercise
The participants will complete balance exercises which targeted their feedforward along with feedback postural reflexes. The exercise program will include three different groups of tasks: self-destabilizing movements such as rolling on the toes and bouncing a ball while walking as well as external destabilization tasks like balancing on foam surfaces and therapist-performed perturbations and coordinated arm movements during walking. The patients will undergo ten specific movements per session and medical staff raised the exercise difficulty level as they made improvement. The principal investigator will provide verbal instruction together with physical help if required.
Other: Mirror therapy
In this, each patient will be instructed to keep the affected limb in static position. The limb will be in the position of hip 90°, knee 90°, and ankle 90° for the short-sitting posture and in the position of hip 90°, knee 0°, and ankle neutral in the long-sitting posture. The position of the limb was ensured from time to time. The repetition will be modulated to complete the maximum time of each session. Weight bearing in standing (extended knee) 2-3 minutes, Weight bearing in standing on inclined wedge 2-3 minutes. Movements using associated reactions 10 repetitions, Knee flexion control in prone position 10 repetitions, Active-assistive movement using activities (medicinal ball, rocker board, pedocycle, jogger) for hip (flexion), knee (flexion-extension) and ankle (ankle dorsi flexion-plantar flexion) in sitting position 10 repetitions for each.
Experimental: Mirror therapy
In this, each patient will be instructed to keep the affected limb in static position. The limb will be in the position of hip 90°, knee 90°, and ankle 90° for the short-sitting posture and in the position of hip 90°, knee 0°, and ankle neutral in the long-sitting posture. The position of the limb was ensured from time to time. The repetition will be modulated to complete the maximum time of each session. Weight bearing in standing (extended knee) 2-3 minutes, Weight bearing in standing on inclined wedge 2-3 minutes. Movements using associated reactions 10 repetitions, Knee flexion control in prone position 10 repetitions, Active-assistive movement using activities (medicinal ball, rocker board, pedocycle, jogger) for hip (flexion), knee (flexion-extension) and ankle (ankle dorsi flexion-plantar flexion) in sitting position 10 repetitions for each.
Other: Trunk control exercise
The participants will complete balance exercises which targeted their feedforward along with feedback postural reflexes. The exercise program will include three different groups of tasks: self-destabilizing movements such as rolling on the toes and bouncing a ball while walking as well as external destabilization tasks like balancing on foam surfaces and therapist-performed perturbations and coordinated arm movements during walking. The patients will undergo ten specific movements per session and medical staff raised the exercise difficulty level as they made improvement. The principal investigator will provide verbal instruction together with physical help if required.
Other: Mirror therapy
In this, each patient will be instructed to keep the affected limb in static position. The limb will be in the position of hip 90°, knee 90°, and ankle 90° for the short-sitting posture and in the position of hip 90°, knee 0°, and ankle neutral in the long-sitting posture. The position of the limb was ensured from time to time. The repetition will be modulated to complete the maximum time of each session. Weight bearing in standing (extended knee) 2-3 minutes, Weight bearing in standing on inclined wedge 2-3 minutes. Movements using associated reactions 10 repetitions, Knee flexion control in prone position 10 repetitions, Active-assistive movement using activities (medicinal ball, rocker board, pedocycle, jogger) for hip (flexion), knee (flexion-extension) and ankle (ankle dorsi flexion-plantar flexion) in sitting position 10 repetitions for each.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Berg Balance Scale:
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Using a series of pre-established exercises, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) evaluates a patient's objective ability-or lack thereof-to maintain balance (Lima et al., 2018). The fourteen things on the list are assessed on a five-point ordinal scale, with 0 being the lowest degree of function and 4 the greatest level. Completing the list takes approximately twenty minutes. It excludes the gait analysis. (Louie & Eng, 2018).
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-PG):
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-PG) posture and gait sub-scores were used to assess postural stability and gait problems. It is divided into four pieces. Each part has many points: zero for normal or no problems, one for minor problems, two for moderate problems, three for major problems, and four for severe problems.(Shen & Mak, 2015).
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Lahore

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Nimra Nadeem, MS (NMPT), University of Lahore
  • Principal Investigator: Hafiza Sana Ashraf, MS-MSK, University of Lahore

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 22, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 8, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 21, 2026

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC-UOL-/343/08/24

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

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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