Unconventional exercises for motor function in Parkinson's disease: an umbrella review of meta-analyses.

This article systematically reviews and evaluates the effectiveness of various unconventional exercises on motor function in people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). An umbrella review of nine meta-analyses including 107 randomized controlled trials found that unconventional exercises such as robotic-assisted gait training, Baduanjin (a traditional Chinese exercise), exergaming rehabilitation, and dancing significantly improve motor impairment, balance, walking function, and endurance in PwPD, with robotic-assisted gait training supported by high-certainty evidence. Other interventions like aquatic exercise, Nordic walking, yoga, and Tai Chi showed positive effects but with low or very low certainty of evidence. The study highlights the potential of these unconventional exercises as complementary therapies in PD rehabilitation while noting the need for more high-quality trials to confirm long-term efficacy and safety.