Proprioceptive Exercise in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is frequently associated with impaired postural control, balance deficits, trunk misalignment, altered proprioception, gait impairment, back pain, and increased risk of falls. These alterations may negatively affect mobility, independence, social participation, and quality of life (QoL). In PD, postural and balance disorders may include increased dorsal kyphosis, trunk flexion, lateral trunk deviation, Pisa syndrome, camptocormia, altered perception of the trunk midline, and impaired sensory-motor integration. Since balance control depends on the integration of sensory, proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual information, rehabilitation approaches targeting proprioceptive awareness and trunk symmetry may represent a useful complement to conventional neuromotor rehabilitation.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) longitudinal study is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of SuPerSense (SPS), a Conformité Européenne (CE)-marked sensorized proprioceptive rehabilitation table, in individuals with PD. SPS is an electromedical device designed to detect the distribution of pressure exerted by the participant's back on multiple contact points. The device consists of a motorized support surface equipped with removable latex cones and sensorized areas connected to a software interface. The system provides quantitative information about trunk loading and pressure distribution, allowing the therapist to monitor the execution of the exercise, guide the participant, and provide feedback during proprioceptive rehabilitation.

A total of 24 participants with clinically diagnosed PD and postural or motor deficits will be enrolled and randomized to one of two groups: an experimental group (EG) receiving SuPerSense-based proprioceptive rehabilitation (SPS-PR) in addition to standard neuromotor rehabilitation, and a control group (CG) receiving conventional rehabilitation focused on posture and balance. Each group will include 12 participants.

The total expected duration of the study is 36 months from ethics committee approval. For each participant with PD, participation will last approximately one month. The study will be conducted at the Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, and Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico.

Participants with PD will be eligible if they are older than 18 years and have a clinical diagnosis of PD with a modified Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage between 1.5 and 3. Exclusion criteria include spinal or upper-limb conditions requiring fixed corrective devices, inability to understand the proposed task, and severe comorbidities, including severe arthrosis of the spine.

Both PD groups will receive the same overall amount of neuromotor rehabilitation, consisting of approximately three hours per day of rehabilitation. Within this rehabilitation program, the EG will receive 12 sessions of treatment with the SPS device, delivered three times per week for four weeks. Each SPS session will last approximately 30 minutes. During the session, the participant will lie on the device and will perform proprioceptive trunk exercises. The session will include one minute in supine position with knees extended, one minute with knees flexed, and two active treatment phases lasting approximately 10 minutes each. During the active phases, the participant will be asked to focus on the sensations arising from the contact points on the back and to improve symmetry of trunk loading. Rest periods and additional positioning phases with knees flexed and extended will be included between and after the active treatment phases. The therapist will use the quantitative information provided by the device to guide the participant and support correct task execution.

The CG will receive CR aimed at improving posture and balance, with the same frequency and duration as the SPS-PR intervention. Blinding of participants to group allocation is not feasible because of the nature of the intervention. Instrumental assessments will be performed using computerized devices to obtain objective and reproducible measures.

All participants with PD will be evaluated before and after the one-month rehabilitation period. Instrumental assessments will include gait analysis using the G-Walk inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor system and postural assessment using the FreeMed baropodometric and stabilometric platform. The FreeMed platform will be used to collect static baropodometric measures, dynamic baropodometric measures, and stabilometric parameters. G-Walk will be used to assess accelerometer-based gait parameters. Clinical assessments will include the Tinetti Balance Scale (TBS), the Tinetti Gait Scale (TGS), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for back pain.

Participants with PD will also undergo an SPS assessment session before and after the rehabilitation period. Data extracted from the SPS device will be compared with data obtained from the baropodometric/stabilometric platform, the IMU-based gait analysis system, and clinical scales. This will allow exploration of the validity of device-derived measures and their sensitivity to changes following rehabilitation.

The primary objective of the study is to assess the feasibility of a sensorized proprioceptive trunk rehabilitation program using SPS in individuals with PD. Secondary objectives are to evaluate the immediate and medium-term effects of SPS-PR on postural stability, gait function, trunk symmetry, balance, and back pain. The study will also explore whether quantitative pressure-distribution measures obtained from the SPS device can provide clinically meaningful information for monitoring proprioceptive rehabilitation in PD.