OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Wuqinxi after one session and 12-week intervention on hand dexterity in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: Forty-six elderly participants with mild-to-moderate PD were randomly assigned to the groups trained with Wuqinxi (n = 23) or stretching (n = 23). All participants practiced 60 min session of either of these exercises, 2 sessions a week for 12 weeks in standing position. The score of Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) and time for Soda Pop Test (SPT) were performed to assess hand dexterity and motor function along assessing the 39 items of Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire before and after 12-week interventions. In addition, the PPT scores were compared before versus after one session of either of these two exercise modes. RESULTS: Single session with either Wuqinxi or stretching exercise tended to improve PPT scores in PD patients. Furthermore, the improved SPT time was significant (p < 0.01) following 12-week training interventions with Wuqinxi (-1.32 +/- 0.38 sec) or stretching (-0.89 +/- 0.16 sec), which showed no group difference (p = 0.734). However, only the participants in Wuqinxi group significantly improved the PPT scores of the dominant hand (+0.61 +/- 1.34), both hand (+1.83 +/- 3.13) and assemble (+2.04 +/- 3.44) performance after 12-week training intervention. In parallel with improved hand dexterity and motor function, 12-week Wuqinxi training also significantly improved the patient's emotional wellbeing. CONCLUSION: The Wuqinxi intervention could be safely and effectively applied to improve hand dexterity following single-session exercise or 12-week training, which were accompanied by improved quality of life in patients with mild-to-moderate PD.

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