Effects of Rock Climbing on Parkinson's Disease

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This research study is being conducted to understand the outcomes of participation in the Up ENDing Parkinson's rock climbing program (24 sessions, or twice per week for about 12 weeks) on walking & mobility, hand strength & dexterity, and psychological well-being in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). The rock climbing sessions are administered and supervised by Up ENDing Parkinson's, and are tailored to the skill level of the participant. Participants will answer questionnaires and complete physical performance tests twice, first prior to beginning the sessions and then again after the 24 sessions have been completed.

Detailed Description
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Parkinson's disease (PD) compromises multiple systems (neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, cognitive) over time, leading to functional decline. Additionally, individuals with PD may experience stressors commonly associated with chronic illness that can negatively impact psychological well-being. Exercise is commonly prescribed for individuals with PD and recently, interventions that are vigorous in nature and community- and performance-based are gaining traction (e.g., dancing, boxing, rock climbing). Despite increasing popularity, the evidence-base for these programs is still developing and far from conclusive. Recommendations are strong for: Community-based exercise, intensive aerobic and resistance training, and external cueing (Osborne et al., 2022). Rock climbing (RC) contains each of these elements and could potentially be a therapeutic intervention for people with PD. Yet little is known about the outcomes of this particular form of organized physical activity programs for this health condition. One such program is the rock climbing experiences offered by the UpENDing Parkinson's Rock Climbing (UEPRC). The specific aims of this study are to characterize the effects of UEPRC on: 1) mobility and walking; 2) upper extremity (UE) functioning and 3) psychological and social well-being. Participants will complete 24 rock climbing sessions tailored to their skill levels supervised by UEPRC over approximately 12 weeks.

Official Title
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Effects of Rock Climbing on Parkinson's Disease

Conditions
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Parkinson Disease

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: rock climbing


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: at least 18 years old Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease Hoehn & Yahr score 1-3 able to speak and read in English; able to ambulate at least 10 meters with no assistive device or human assistance Exclusion Criteria: neurological disease diagnosis other than PD; uncontrolled cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, or metabolic disease which may impact the ability to exercise or in which exercise is contraindicated; cognitive or psychiatric impairment precluding informed consent or ability to following instructions; pregnancy; inability to ambulate 10 meters without assistive device or human assistance

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Other: rock climbing|Vertical ascent of a surface specifically designed to elicit the skills that might be required to scale a naturally occurring rock formation|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Community Mobility and Ambulation | Test of specific tasks to be accomplished to walk forward on a level surface safely and efficiently as evidence by the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CBMS). CBMS is scored from 0-96 with higher scores denoting better performance. | Baseline and at 12 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Agility | Test of the ability to move forward, laterally, and backward on a level surface safely and efficiently as evidence by the Agility T-Test. | Baseline and at 12 weeks | 
| Change in Dexterity | This test assesses upper extremity dexterity by assessing the time it takes to remove 9 pegs from a tray and place in peg holes and then remove pegs and place them back in tray as measured by the 9-Hole Peg Test. | Baseline and at 12 weeks | 
| Change in Reaction Time | This test assesses combined cognitive and physical reaction time to initiate a movement response utilizing colored light stimuli as evidenced by using Blaze Pods. | Baseline and at 12 weeks | 
| Change in Apathy | This survey addresses lack of emotion, interest, concern, or recognition of goals by measuring levels of participant's interest, motivation, and engagement as evidenced by the Starkstein Apathy Scale. The Starkstein Apathy Scale scores range from 0-42 with higher scores representing greater levels of apathy. | Baseline and at 12 weeks | 
| Change in Resilience | This survey measures one's ability to thrive in the face of adversity as evidenced by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC-25). CD-RISC-25 scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating greater resilience. | Baseline and at 12 weeks | 
| Change in Social Adaptation | This survey measures motivation and behavior as related to work and hobbies, family and relationships, and social situations as evidenced by the Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation Scale (SAS). SAS scores range from 0-63 with higher scores representing better social adaptation. | Baseline and at 12 weeks |