Effects of Visual Biofeedback Therapy in Parkinson's Patients

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects approximately 6.5 million people around the world and it is ranked as the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer disease. US have reported 800,000 PD patients in 2016, the highest number of reported PD patients in the world while UK has the lowest number of PD cases i.e. 100,000. With a rise of 2.3 million cases in 2026, an approximate annual growth rate of 2.52% is predicted globally. According to Pakistan Parkinson's society, approximately 450,000 Pakistanis were affected with PD. The age-specific prevalence of PD in Pakistan was found to be high in 70 to 79 years of age with males being more affected as compared to females. Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition, characterized by tremors, rigidity, and stiffness in the body, along with bradykinesia, walking and balance problems. Poor balance is one of the major and most disabling characteristics among Parkinson patients. Freezing of gait (FOG) and postural instability is one of the major cause of fall and loss of independence among PD patients whereas cognitive dysfunction is one of the common non-motor symptoms affecting 20 to 57% of PD patients. Among recent technological advancements in neurological physical therapy, virtual reality (VR) games have become an area of interest for researchers. Despite advances in the rehabilitation of PD, evidence regarding the effects of visual biofeedback therapy on Parkinson patients is still scarce. Only few studies have studied the effects of visual biofeedback therapy on balance in PD patients, but as per knowledge of the researcher there is no study published on effects of visual biofeedback therapy on FOG and cognition among Parkinson patients in Pakistan. Therefore, the present study is aimed to assess the effects of biofeedback balance training using a balance board on balance, FOG and cognition in patients with Parkinson disease.