INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease (PD) is becoming more prevalent, highlighting the urgency of developing treatments to minimize its effects on muscular strength and physical function. Power training (PT) is a potential approach that may improve endurance and muscular power, essential for maintaining functional ability in PD. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of PT versus control or other physical activity (PA) interventions on physical functional performance (PFP) in PD patients. METHODS: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, PEDro, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials comparing PT to a control group or another PA intervention in PD patients. PFP was the primary outcome. Pooled effect estimates were calculated from baseline to endpoint scores. RESULTS: From 21,558 results, four studies were included in the meta-analysis due to their moderate to high methodological quality. PT showed no significant effect on PFP outcomes compared to control groups (TUG: ES -0.281; 95% CI -0.693 to 0.130; p = 0.180; I2 0%; PWS: ES 0.748; 95% CI -0.768 to 2.265; p = 0.333; I2 88%; FWS: ES 0.420; 95% CI -0.950 to 1.791; p = 0.548; I2 83%; SLS: ES 0.161; 95% CI -0.332 to 0.655; p = 0.521; I2 0%). No differences were found between PT and alternative interventions (TUG: ES 0.132; 95% CI -0.394 to 0.657; p = 0.623; I2 0%; BBA: ES 0.057; 95% CI -0.430 to 0.544; p = 0.820; I2 0%). CONCLUSION: PT did not improve PFP compared to control or alternative interventions. More studies are needed to explore PT effects (eg, higher volume, intensity, and combined types) in PD patients.

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