Knock Out Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive disorder which affects your nervous system. There are 5 classification stages of Parkinson’s that all vary in severity. Stage one is the initial stage where you may have very mild symptoms which generally don’t interfere with daily living. Stage 5 is the most advanced and debilitating stage, where you are generally are unable to walk or stand without assistance, and often require a wheelchair. Parkinson’s disease begins to affect your balance, gait, increase limb rigidity or stiffness, decrease in movement speed, and tremors. It is therefore important to incorporate exercises that can assist reducing the severity of your symptoms.

A recent study¹, showed the benefits of boxing to assist in the management of Parkinson’s Disease. Now this doesn’t mean you getting in the ring and having a fight or a sparring match with someone. It just simply refers to non-contact boxing, which is hitting the trainers’ pads or boxing bag. What boxing does which is important for Parkinson’s Disease is that the skill is repetitive, complex and often very intense, which are all important for stimulating your mind and body. Boxing also helps to build and restore your muscle strength, balance, agility, and hand eye-coordination.

Although boxing has been found to be very beneficial, regular exercise of any nature also more beneficial than no exercise. If you are not a fan of boxing try an exercise that is cardiovascular or strength based as these exercises will also have similar benefits to boxing.

If you have any other questions in relation to exercise and Parkinson’s Disease, book in to see our Exercise Physiologist at Lilyfield Physiotherapy.

Reference

1 Boxing Training for Patients with Parkinson Disease: A Case Series

   S. A. Combs,  M. D. Diehl, W. H. Staples, L. Conn, K. Davis, N. Lewis, K. Schaneman

   Physical Therapy, Volume 91, Issue 1, 1 January 2011, Pages 132–142