Borg scale is valid for ratings of perceived exertion for individuals with Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that has traditionally been treated with anti-parkinsonian medication. There is increasing evidence that exercise is beneficial to those with PD, therefore, it is necessary to validate a measure of exertion that can be implemented across exercise settings that may not have the capability to actively monitor heart rate. The aim of this project was to determine the validity of the Borg RPE scale in individuals with PD undergoing a maximal progressive cycling exercise test. Thirty-eight males and females (58.5 ± 8.1 yrs) with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD, Hoehn and Yahr stage II–III, completed a maximal exercise test. Heart rate was monitored continuously, with RPE being recorded during the last minute of each stage of the test. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between RPE and continuous heart rate monitoring. A significant, positive correlation was present between RPE and heart rate and RPE and workload, r = 0.61 and r = 0.77 respectively. A separate mixed effects model regression analyses indicated that RPE was a significant predictor of heart rate (p < 0.001) and workload (p < 0.001). The results of a mixed effect models that RPE scores indicated that RPE values at commonly prescribed workout intensities were not associated with age, gender, or disease severity (p>0.05). Significant, positive correlation between RPE and HR indicates that the Borg category ratio scale may be used in individuals with Parkinson’s disease in which formal exercise testing may not be available.