Flamingo exercise improves balance in Parkinson’s patients: Study
Best results seen from training combined with device giving posture feedback
The flamingo exercise — training to stand on one leg, as the bright-pink wading birds often do — was shown to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls among people with Parkinson’s disease in a Turkish study.
Such balance training was found most effective when the exercise was used along with an interactive device that provides feedback on posture, the researchers noted. The device, called the Tetrax Interactive Balance System, or TIBS, uses force plates on which a person stands.
Combining the two types of training was more effective at lowering the risk of falls, and increasing balance in standing and walking, than either method alone, the results showed.
“After the treatment, there was a statistically significant difference in all balance and fall scores in patients who received [both types of] balance training,” the researchers wrote. “The balance and falling values in the combined training group were superior to single-type training groups.”
The study, “The effects of dynamic flamingo balance exercises and balance training with a Tetrax posturography device on the balance performance and fall risk of patients with Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation.
Exercise requires patient to stand on one leg like a flamingo
As part of a range of motor symptoms that are the disease’s hallmark, Parkinson’s often leads to balance difficulties and postural instability. These issues can make everyday movements, such as walking or standing, more challenging, and can increase the risk of falls.
Over time, as the disease progresses, balance problems may become more pronounced due to the loss of automatic reflexes and muscle coordination. Physical therapy and targeted exercises have been shown to help improve stability and reduce fall risk.
Now, two researchers from Istanbul tested whether the flamingo balance exercise, the TBIS posturography device, or a combination of both could help improve balance and reduce the risk of falling among people with Parkinson’s. Posturography is the measurement of postural sway.
The flamingo exercise, as its name suggests, is a simple balance training strategy that involves standing on one leg, similar to how the bird stands. It helps improve balance, stability, and lower body strength, making it useful for people recovering from injuries, older adults, and those with conditions like Parkinson’s.
TIBS, meanwhile, is designed to measure and assess a person’s balance and stability. It helps healthcare professionals evaluate how well someone can maintain balance under various conditions.
The device consists of four force plates arranged in a square, on which the patient stands. The device measures how weight is distributed across the feet while a person stands still or moves in different directions, and can also test balance in response to different challenges, such as visual cues, surface stability, or body sway.
Dynamic flamingo therapy combined with balance exercises with a … device [assessing posture] improves balance disorder in [Parkinson’s] patients.
The study included 124 Parkinson’s patients who were randomly divided into four groups. One group performed flamingo exercises, another used TIBS, a third combined both methods, and a fourth performed only stretching exercises; the patients in the fourth group served as controls. Each group exercised three times a week for six weeks, and the training was adjusted to fit each individual’s needs. Patients were assessed before and after the training regimens.
After the interventions, patients who did alternate balance training showed a significant improvement in all balance and fall-related scores. Those in the combined training group performed even better than those who did only one type of training, suggesting that combining these two methods may be more effective than either one alone.
“Dynamic flamingo therapy combined with balance exercises with a static posturography device improves balance disorder in [Parkinson’s] patients compared to therapy restricted to individual training,” the researchers concluded.
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