A Novel Balance Program to Improve Balance in People With Parkinson's Disease

1\. Standing hip abduction: Performed without and with resistance bands and/or support. The participant will raise one leg out to the side and return. If using a resistance band, one end of the band will be secured to a stable surface and the other end placed around one of the participants' ankles. The banded leg will be raised to the side. Three sets of 8-12 repetitions will be performed per side.

1\. Seated ankle movements (dorsi-/plantarflexion)hree sets of 8-12 repetitions will be performed per limb with the maintenance of end-range contraction of 6 seconds.

2\. Knee extension Three sets of 8-12 repetitions will be performed per limb with the maintenance of end-range contraction of 6 seconds.

3\. Hip flexion Three sets of 8-12 repetitions will be performed per limb with the maintenance of end-range contraction of 6 seconds.

4\. Hip abduction Three sets of 8-12 repetitions will be performed per limb with the maintenance of end-range contraction of 6 seconds.

2\. Lateral stepping: Performed without and with resistance bands. The participant will perform a series of steps to the side. If using a resistance band, the band will be placed around both ankles in a 'loop' and the participant will perform the lateral stepping. Three sets of 8-12 repetitions will be performed per side per subject.

3\. Single leg stance: The participant will stand on one leg with support as needed. The contralateral knee will be held at 45 degrees throughout the exercise. The instructor will observe to ensure the bent leg does not contact the ground. Three repetitions of static stance per side will be performed with a goal of 30 seconds, and a maximum time of 60 seconds, per repetition.

4\. Staggered stance mini-squat: Participants will stand with the feet hip-width apart and one leg placed a short step forward. The participant will squat straight down keeping the trunk upright and return to an upright position.

5\. Lateral Reactive Postural Control: The participant will lean into the researcher's hand to shift their center of mass outside of their base of support. Hand placement will be at the glenohumeral joint and the pelvis. The researcher will withdraw support and guard the participant as the participant regains their balance. This is item 6 on the Mini-BESTest assessment that will be incorporated as an intervention. To be performed 3x per side.