Efficacy of chest PNF on pulmonary function in patients with Parkinson’s diseases: A pilot study

Purpose: 84% of Parkinson disease (PD) patients develop respiratory abnormalities which subsequently becomes the most common cause of death. There is a paucity of research to address this problem. So the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of chest PNF on pulmonary function and chest wall mobility in PD. Materials and Methods: 20 participants recruited for the study were divided into two groups. The conventional group participants received conventional treatment for one week. The experimental group received chest PNF exercise along with conventional treatment for a week. The PFT (FVC, FEV1 & FEV1/FVC) and chest wall expansion at the axillary and xiphi-sternal level were measured for data analysis within and between groups using a paired and unpaired t test respectively. Results: Within-group analysis showed that the differences were significant between pre and post intervention in both groups for FVC and chest wall expansion (Axilla, xiphi sternum) (p for the other measures. Between-group analysis reveals that PFT parameters were not different (p>0.05) whilst chest expansion at the two measured levels were different (p Conclusion: The results of this study convey slight additional benefit of chest PNF if added to conventional therapy. Keywords: Parkinson disease, Breathing abnormality, PNF, Chest wall exercise lung function