Influence of muscular strengthening in the functional independence of individuals with Parkinson's disease

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disease of the nervous system that leads to a clinical picture of resting tremor, bradykinesia, muscular rigidity and postural instability. These symptoms, in turn, directly influence the functional independence of the individual. Objective: To analyze the influence of muscle strengthening on functional independence of individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Method: A total of ten subjects of both genders participated in this study. We evaluated the functional independence, strength of lower limbs, grip strength testing and 1 repetition maximum. After the evaluation was performed muscle building program for 12 weeks. Results: There was improvement of functional independence (p = 0.007) and lower limb strength (p = 0.01), as well as an increase in grip strength, both of the dominant hand (p = 0.007) and the non-dominant one (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The muscle strength improved the functional independence of individuals with PD.