Fisher 2008.

Methods	Parallel group design. Randomisation was done by the subjects with their eyes closed; they selected a card corresponding to one of the three groups. Method of analysis not described. Treated as outpatients for 24 sessions over 8 weeks for both treatment arms, 6 sessions over 8 weeks for control group. Assessed at baseline and immediately post treatment. Assessors were blinded.
Participants	10 participants in the treadmill group, 10 participants in the physiotherapy group and 10 participants in the control arm. No dropouts described. Participants' mean age, 64.1 years (treadmill), 61.5 years (physiotherapy), 63.1 years (control). Male/female ratio, 6/4 (treadmill), 5/5 (physiotherapy), 8/2 (control). Mean Hoehn and Yahr 1.9 in all 3 groups. Mean duration of PD 1.2 years (treadmill), 0.7 years (physiotherapy), 1.5 years (control). Inclusion criteria: early‐stage Parkinson's disease, diagnosis of Parkinson's disease within 3 years of study participation, Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 or 2, 18 years or older, medical clearance from primary care physician to participate in exercise programme, ability to walk. Exclusion criteria: medical or physical screening examination showed a score of less than 24 on the MMSE, revealed physician‐determined major medical problems such as cardiac dysfunction that would interfere with participation; subjects had musculoskeletal impairments or excessive pain in any joint that could limit participation in an exercise programme, had insufficient endurance and stamina to participate in exercise 3 times per week for a 1‐hour session.
Interventions	Treadmill: Level of intensity was defined by MET. High‐intensity exercise greater than 3 METs. Body weight supported (BWS) treadmill training. Goal of each session was to reach and maintain a MET > 3. Exercise progressed by decreasing BWS (initially 10% of subject's body weight) and physical assistance, increasing the treadmill speed and time on the treadmill, with the end goal for each subject to walk on the treadmill continuously for 45 minutes within the MET range. Physiotherapy: less than 3 METs. This group was representative of general or traditional physical therapy. Each 45‐minute session was individualised and consisted of activities from 6 categories: (1) passive range of motion and stretching, (2) active range of motion, (3) balance activities, (4) gait, (5) resistance training, (6) practice of functional activities and transitional movements. Control: zero intensity group. Six 1‐hour education classes taken over an 8‐week period. Drug therapy was constant during the trial.
Outcomes	UPDRS (Total, I, II, and III subscores). Hoehn and Yahr. Functional assessments. Walking test. Sit‐to‐stand test. Transcranial magnetic stimulation. All subjects took their customary medications at the same time relative to each assessment.
Notes	Subjects were allowed to continue their customary exercise routines and filled out a daily exercise diary.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Eligibility Criteria	Low risk
Randomisation Method	High risk	Subjects self‐selected a card with eyes closed.
Concealment of Allocation	High risk	Subjects self‐selected a card with eyes closed.
Similarity at Baseline	Low risk
Withdrawals Described	Unclear risk	No dropouts described.
Intention To Treat Analysis	Unclear risk	Method of analysis not described.
Cointerventions Constant	Low risk	All medication kept stable during course of study.
Credible Placebo	Low risk	Education classes attended by controls.
Blinded Assessors	Low risk	Assessors were blinded to group allocation.