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Exercise and Physical Therapy Important for PD Patients

There is an old view of Parkinson's disease that claims exercise can actually make the disease worse while the new views (and correct ones) say that people with the disease actually benefit from it. Exercise, particularly physical therapy can be very beneficial to Parkinson's patients as it can help improve a person's bearing, walking pace, balance and strength. In fact, physical therapy can help patients utilize external prompts as well which can improve pain, build or maintain muscle tone, improve walking and balance and more.

Bearing and Balance

Bearing and balance problems are the hallmark of Parkinson's disease and when ignored can lead to greater disability caused by falls, broken bones and more. Getting hurt and requiring treatment like hospitalization can lead to a loss of independence and need for live-in help or an assisted living facility. Parkinson's disease accounts for a large number of falls versus other people without the disease.

Physical therapy can help many patients improve upon their balance and bearing when they walk. There is a process called cueing which trains Parkinson's patients to walk and step in a certain way. This could be something simple as walking to touch every third grout line in the floor to encourage longer strides or using a cane or walker, employing rhythmic sounds or movements to trick the brain into not freezing up when walking. Continuous physical therapy and practice is needed so that progress is not lost.

Strength training

With Parkinson's comes less physical activity because of the fear of falling or being seen in public with the shakes. Many studies have shown that symptoms of the disease has improved with strength training such as autonomic nervous system moves likes swallowing and digestion as well as dexterity in limbs, mental clarity and even depression. These same studies have shown that Parkinson's patients who built up muscle mass showed great promise with a reduction of symptoms as well as increased activities. Everyone knows that if you do not use a muscle, it will lose strength and whither so strength training helps keep the momentum of movement going.

For the longest time, doctors thought that engaging older Parkinson's patients in strength training would not build muscle but rather lead to stiffness in muscles causing harm. Now they know the opposite is true.

Based on animal testing and Parkinson's disease, studies show that waiting until later in the Parkinson's diagnosis before starting an exercise program and physical therapy has no discernable effect on the reduction of symptoms and pain. However, when the physical therapy and exercise was started early, the animals in the testing showed progression of the disease was slowed. Researchers believe that exercise can have a neuro-protective effect on the nerve cells affected by the disease.

The bottom line is that exercise is good for Parkinson's disease. It is important that a doctor prescribe the exercises and refers the patient to a physical therapist so that these exercises are performed correctly and to maximize benefit of efforts. A reduction in symptoms and pain is definitely worth it.