Effects of music-based movement therapy on motor function, balance, gait, mental health, and quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Clinical rehabilitation Vol. 35; no. 7; p. 937
• Main Authors: Zhou, Zonglei, Zhou, Ruzhen, Wei, Wen, Luan, Rongsheng, Li, Kunpeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.07.2021
• Subjects: Exercise Test; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - physiopathology; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - rehabilitation; Humans; Mental Health; Music Therapy; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson Disease - rehabilitation; Postural Balance - physiology; Quality of Life; meta-analysis; rehabilitation; Music-based movement therapy; Parkinson’s disease
• ISSN: 1477-0873
• DOI: 10.1177/0269215521990526

To conduct a systematic review evaluating the effects of music-based movement therapy on motor function, balance, gait, mental health, and quality of life among individuals with Parkinson's disease. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database was carried out to identify eligible papers published up to December 10, 2020. Literature selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment were independently performed by two investigators. Publication bias was determined by funnel plot and Egger's regression test. "Trim and fill" analysis was performed to adjust any potential publication bias. Seventeen studies involving 598 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Music-based movement therapy significantly improved motor function (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor subscale, MD = -5.44,  = 0.002; Timed Up and Go Test, MD = -1.02,  = 0.001), balance (Berg Balance Scale, MD = 2.02,  < 0.001; Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test, MD = 2.95,  = 0.001), freezing of gait (MD = -2.35,  = 0.039), walking velocity (MD = 0.18,  < 0.001), and mental health (SMD = -0.38,  = 0.003). However, no significant effects were observed on gait cadence, stride length, and quality of life. The findings of this study show that music-based movement therapy is an effective treatment approach for improving motor function, balance, freezing of gait, walking velocity, and mental health for patients with Parkinson's disease.