Versatile guideline-based physiotherapy intervention in groups to improve gait speed in Parkinson's disease patients.

Only 24 participants were analysed, and they were recruited from a convenience sample of people living in one city. All participants had mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease and could walk without an assistive device at home, so the findings may not apply to more advanced or more dependent patients. The control group was scheduled for physiotherapy only after reassessment, so there was no active control condition during the study. The therapy included many components at once, including gait training, balance, transfers, manual activities, posture, range-of-motion exercises, cueing and manual facilitation, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Follow-up was 10 weeks, and the authors did not report longer-term effects. The intervention was delivered in very small groups of 3, which may not reflect typical clinic capacity.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that gait training alone improved walking speed. The intervention combined physical capacity, transfers, manual activities, balance, gait, posture, range-of-motion exercises, cueing and manual facilitation, so the effect of any single part cannot be separated.