Exercise and Physical Therapy | Parkinson's Disease Clinic and Research Center. Research has shown that regular exercise benefits people with Parkinson’s disease. Exercise: reduces stiffnessimproves mobility, posture, balance and gait. Aerobic exercise increases oxygen delivery and neurotransmitters to keep our heart, lungs, and nervous system healthy. General exercise may also reduce depression. Learning- based memory exercises can also help keep our memory sharp (Positscience, Lumosity). Click on question below to jump ahead to a particular answer or scroll down to read each in order. What types of exercise are best for people with Parkinson’s disease?
Exercise is an important part of healthy living for everyone. For people with Parkinson’s, exercise is more than healthy: it is a vital component to maintaining. Research has shown that regular exercise benefits people with Parkinson’s disease. Exercise: reduces stiffness; improves mobility, posture, balance and gait. How a 52-year-old Parkinson’s Disease Sufferer and Naturopath Banished all the Frustrating Symptoms of this Cruel Condition from his Body… Naturally!
Is there any value in strength training? What about swimming? Will exercise make my muscles less stiff? When should I exercise in relation to medication? How often should I exercise? Is there anything else I should know? When should I request a referral for Physical Therapy?
Kathy Cooper was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in Oct 2004. This video shows her symptoms of rigidity, slowness of movement, a masked face, and loss.
Parkinson’s Network provides exercise classes for People with Parkinson’s Disease (PWP), MS, TBI, neurological disorders, and those that want to age well. This section looks at the health benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson's and how to find a local exercise class.
Are there techniques to help me walk? Are there hints to help me get out of bed?
What is 'forced use' exercise? What types of exercise are best for people with Parkinson’s disease? There is increasing evidence that aerobic and learning- based exercises could be neuroprotective in aging individuals and those with neurodegenerative disease.
Facilitating exercise programs that challenge our heart and lungs as well as promote good biomechanics, good posture, trunk rotation and normal rhythmic, symmetric movements are the best. Dancing to music may be particularly good for decreasing stiffness. Although research on this subject is ongoing, it does appear that beyond aerobic activities performed with healthy movement patterns, exercises challenging the individual to change tempo, activity, or direction (what is referred to as “random practice” exercise) benefits people with Parkinson’s disease. It is also important to keep variety in exercise activities, because individuals with Parkinson’s disease often have difficulty in shifting from one activity to another or in performing two activities at the same time. Exercises that require balance and preparatory adjustment of the body are also important along with rhythmic activities such as dancing, skipping and cycling can maintain the ability to perform reciprocal movements. Finally, exercises that promote attention and learning are beneficial. Types of exercisesthat do this: Walking outside or in a mall. Dancing. Yoga classes. Tai Chi classes. Stepping over obstacles.
Marching to music with big arm swings. Sports (ping pong, golf, tennis, volleyball)Aerobic/Jazzercise classes Types of exercises that promote cardiopulmonary fitness: Paced walking (treadmill walking at different speeds and different inclines)Hiking using walking sticks.
Swimming with different strokes with the eyes open and closed (+)not only challenge motor learning but also increase heart rate and provide good cardiopulmonary conditioning. New bodyweight- supported treadmills can also be helpful to protect from falling, and to facilitate easier coordinated movements for fast walking with a long stride or jogging. Types of exercise that do NOT challenge motor planning: Riding a stationary bicycle without doing other activities. Weight lifting. Treadmill walking at a slow speed. Lap swimming can be very habitual and also automatic. These exercises for cardiovascular, endurance and strengthening could be enriched by performing simultaneous activities such as reading, writing, problem solving, singing, watching the news or a movie or throwing and catching balls. Exercises that demand attention, repetition, progression of difficulty with spaced practice over time are the best exercise routines to promote learning.
You can purchase learning programs from Positscience and Lumosity. Currently, Dr. Dowling and Dr. Melnick in collaboration with Red Hills Studio are developing fun motor learning programs that can improve posture and balance.
The Wii sports games and balance activities may be generally fun and helpful (Wii Study at UCSF). Is there any value in strength training?
Weight lifting per se is NOT the best choice of an exercise program for the person with Parkinson’s disease, particularly if it is the only exercise activity. Individuals need to be careful how they perform strengthening exercises to minimize increasing stiffness and rigidity. When performed properly, strengthening exercises do have some value. As one ages, more exercise must be performed to maintain muscle mass. Muscle mass and strength allow an individual to complete daily chores and to maintain balance.
Additionally, strengthening postural muscles may help to maintain a more upright posture. Integrative, functional exercises other than weight- training may strengthen muscles in ways that are more beneficial to individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Examples of alternative exercises to weight lifting: Activities in a standing position strengthen legs. Pushing up to rise on the toes.
Modified squats. Repetitively rising and sitting from a chair. Wearing ankle and wrist weights around the house or out on a walk. Push- ups or wall push- ups for arms. Light weights are just as effective as heavy weights in maintaining muscle tone and do not increase stiffness as much. Walking with ankle and wrist weights can help strengthen while encouraging increased awareness of arm swinging and high stepping. Moderation is the best word for strength training without other forms of exercise. However, integrating strengthening and flexibility exercises into aerobic, rhythmic and learning- based exercise routines that are fun, engaging, progressing in difficulty and rewarding are the best.
What about swimming? Swimming provides good cardiopulmonary training and maintains muscle strength. However, lap swimming does not challenge balance or stimulate variety of movements. Therefore, lap swimming is a second- choice activity. However, since the arms, legs and head may be doing different things, it may increase coordination. The resistance of the water increases stiffness in some people and decreases it in others.
Activities to try: Adding resistance with paddles and trunk support – provides more opportunity for reciprocal movements and circling movements of the arms and the legs. Rolling and somersaults – in the pool are good for those who are particularly comfortable in the water. Remember: For individuals with Parkinson’s disease who have difficulty in breathing, swimming may not be a comfortable aerobic activity. Thus, swimming may be an appropriate choice of exercise for individuals who have enjoyed it in the past and are comfortable with the techniques and those with musculoskeletal conditions particularly of the knee and back. Swimming using certain strokes can also help increase shoulder range of motion. Will exercise make my muscles less stiff?
Exercises that require large, rhythmical movements through a full range of motion have been shown to decrease rigidity. For example, in a program of aerobic exercise using music, there was a reduction in rigidity in 9 out of 1. Exercises to decrease stiffness: Large, rhythmical movements. Rotating the trunk. Vibration, rocking and swinging. Other considerations to decrease stiffness: Avoiding tremors (e. Decreasing stress in ones life – having fun, thinking positively about planning and carrying out challenging, socially engaging and learning- based activities.
Cooling or warming the tense extremity can sometimes be helpful. When should I exercise in relation to medication? The best time to exercise is when mobility is best. For individuals who take medications for Parkinson’s disease, the best level of function often occurs about 1 hour after a dose of medications. The answer to this question varies by individual. The individual reaction to the medication is also important. How often should I exercise? The guidelines for people with Parkinson’s disease are no different from those without the disease (i.
This assumes that your heart is beating at 7. Make the exercise time fun: Engage in group exercise, movement or dancing classes. For many, participating in activities with other people, can be more stimulating and increase compliance. Stay active and integrate exercise into your usual day: Walk whenever possible instead of driving.
Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Take regular 5 minute breaks every 3. Avoid long periods of time watching TV and or using a computer Is there anything else I should know? A “cool- down period” is important. After exercise, allow yourself a longer time for a cool- down than others would need (Individuals who exercised before developing Parkinson’s disease typically double their cool- down time).
A cool- down period accomplishes 2 goals: 1) Promotes a slow decrease in heart rate. Allows the muscles time to cool down gradually so they do not become stiff.
A cool- down period consists of the same exercise activity but at a progressively slower pace. During the cool- down, all muscles need to go through a slow, full range of motion. If you feel exhausted and want to fall asleep immediately after exercise, then you are not cooling down slowly enough. Learn something new every day: If you listen to the news, talk to someone about it. Listen to educational programs and discuss what you learned. Do crossword puzzles or participate in memory training programs on the web or from a CD. Challenge yourself to go out each day: If you are retired, consider volunteering your time to help others ( e.
Red Cross, Meals on Wheels). Move about in the community and learn the tricks of keeping your eyes on a target to improve stability. Carry a cane to let people know that it would be best not to bump you. Practice writing: Learn to hold your pen lightly and write with big cursive type movements. Consider making the surface of your pen rough or sticky. This will help decrease the force of your squeezing the pen. Write by moving the whole arm, not just the fingers.
Practice writing to music and even say the words out loud as you write.