Sensory Stimulation Effect on Movement Speed in Patients With Parkinson Disease
Sensory Stimulation Effect on Movement Speed in Patients With Parkinson Disease
Movement slowness (bradykinesia) is one of the main motor symptoms in Parkinson Disease (PD).
 Several studies have shown that patients with PD exhibit slowness because they are unable to
 modulate, in an optimal way, the velocity of voluntary motor acts not induced by external
 stimulation. Indeed, these patients have difficulties to integrate multi-sensorial
 information, mainly proprioception.

 The investigators investigated changes in shoulder velocity during pointing movements by
 patients with PD after stimulation of soft tissues (aponeurosis) of upper limb muscles. The
 stimulation consisted of manipulating, with a hook (the diacutaneous fibrolysis method), the
 aponeurotic tissues enrobing the heads of the upper limb muscles. This technique has
 previously been shown to decrease passive tension and the tendon reflex response of the
 manipulated muscle group. The investigators hypothesis is that aponeurotic manipulation of
 shoulder muscles therefore creates a modification in the proprioceptive information, which in
 return temporarily decreases the bradykinesia of shoulder movements.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson Disease

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients with a limitation in the shoulder range of motion necessary to perform
 pointing movements