Effects of Exercise on Gait and Functional Performance in Individuals With Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Scoping Review.
Sunee Bovonsunthonchai, Theerapol Witthiwej, Ninwisan Hengsomboon and 6 others
PMID 40729120WHAT IT FOUND
Exercise improves gait and balance in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, but results vary by program.
Dynamic gait training reduced falls from 73% to 10%, while adding high-intensity exercise to usual care showed no overall benefit over control groups.
Key findings
01Dynamic Equilibrium Gait Training significantly reduced fall incidence compared to standard exercise and no rehabilitation.
02Adding High-Intensity Functional Exercise to usual care did not improve overall gait or functional outcomes compared to usual care alone.
03A single session of Action Observation training produced small improvements in gait speed and sit-to-stand time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The number of included studies was low (six articles), and the overall quality of evidence was limited by small sample sizes and methodological flaws. One study had a high dropout rate of 16.51%, which may have affected the results. Several studies lacked active control groups or used no control group, making it difficult to isolate the specific effects of the exercise interventions from natural history or placebo effects. Intervention details such as provider expertise and fidelity were not consistently reported across studies.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that adding high-intensity exercise to usual care will improve gait or functional outcomes, as one randomized controlled trial found no significant difference between the exercise group and the usual care control group for most measures.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →