ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2026
The effects of aerobic exercise on quality of life and motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Improved cognitive flexibility after high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Mapping motor exercise interventions in Parkinson's disease: a scoping review of intervention types, outcomes, adherence, and dropout.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo systematically evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise on motor function and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease, to provide evidence-based guidance for individualized exercise prescription.
methodsPubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception to October 2025 for randomized controlled trials of ≥ 4 week aerobic exercise programmes (treadmill training, Nordic walking, aerobic exercise, cycling, walking, dance, Qigong) in adults with Parkinson’s disease. Primary outcomes were the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III), Timed Up and Go (TUG), Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), and the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis, with sensitivity analyses and funnel plots used to assess robustness and publication bias.
resultsA total of 27 articles comprising 918 participants were included. Aerobic exercise significantly improved UPDRS-III (SMD = − 0.75, I² = 71%), TUG (SMD = − 0.82, I² = 44%), 6MWT (SMD = 0.82, I² = 80%), and BBS (SMD = 1.15, I² = 28%). Mini-BESTest also improved (SMD = 0.61, I² = 78%). PDQ-39 showed a non-significant trend toward improvement (SMD = − 0.17, I² = 0%). Sensitivity analyses supported the primary findings, and funnel plots did not suggest substantial publication bias.
conclusionsAerobic exercise produces moderate-to-large improvements in motor function, balance, and walking endurance, while exerting only small, non-significant effects on health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease. These findings support the integration of regular aerobic training as a core component of comprehensive PD management and provide quantitative benchmarks for prescribing exercise in clinical practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.