Trial results for a study investigating a mindfulness intervention for Parkinson's Disease patients with freezing of gait were posted on 2025-06-17, showing an average attendance of 88.46% for the Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy group.
Background
Freezing of gait (FOG) is a severe motor disturbance commonly experienced by people with Parkinson's Disease (PD). FOG significantly impacts daily life, preventing normal stepping and is associated with increased anxiety, frustration, sedentary behaviors, poorer quality of life, and a higher risk of falls. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an established practice known to reduce stress and anxiety by fostering conscious awareness and self-compassion. This trial aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a mindfulness intervention for PD patients experiencing FOG.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 24 participants with Parkinson Disease and Mindfulness. The trial compared a Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy (MBWT) intervention to an educational program focused on Freezing of Gait (FOG).
Key results
The trial focused on feasibility metrics, including recruitment, attendance, retention, and adherence:
- For the outcome "Recruitment of Sample: Number of Participants Recruited", the Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy (MBWT) group had 12 Participants, and the Freezing of Gait (FOG) Education group also had 12 Participants.
- Average attendance for the Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy (MBWT) group was 88.46 percentage of participants at each session.
- Retention in the Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy (MBWT) group showed that 6 Participants attended 80% or more of the sessions.
- Adherence for the Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy (MBWT) group was an average of 89.54 percentage of home assignment hours practiced.
What this means
The posted results indicate strong feasibility for implementing a Mindfulness-Based Walking Therapy intervention for Parkinson's Disease patients experiencing freezing of gait. High average attendance of 88.46% and adherence of 89.54% in the MBWT group suggest that participants are willing and able to engage with this type of intervention. The recruitment of 12 participants in each arm, along with the retention of 6 participants in the MBWT group for 80% or more sessions, provides valuable data for designing larger, efficacy-focused trials. These feasibility metrics are crucial for understanding the practical implementation and potential impact of mindfulness-based approaches in managing FOG in Parkinson's Disease.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT05923229, titled "Moving Mindfully for Freezing of Gait", were posted on 2025-06-17 on clinicaltrials.gov.