Supporting Patients of Parkinson’s Disease
According to the National Institute of Health, various forms of Physical Activity (PA) can complement pharmacological therapy to manage the inherent decline associated with the disease. The evidence indicates that upregulation of neurotrophins and nerve growth factors are potentially critical mediators of the beneficial effects associated with PA. Accumulating evidence suggests that patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) might benefit from PA in a number of ways, from general improvements in health to disease-specific effects and potentially, disease-modifying effects. Various forms of PA that have shown beneficial effects in PD include – aerobic exercises, treadmill training, dancing, traditional Chinese exercise, yoga, and resistance training.
Many gaps remain in our understanding of the most effective exercise intervention for PD symptoms, the mechanisms underlying exercise-induced changes and the best way to monitor response to therapy. However, available research suggests that exercise is a promising, cost-effective, and low-risk intervention to improve both motor and nonmotor symptoms in patients with PD. Thus, PA should be prescribed and encouraged in all PD patients.
PPA is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure, which can be measured in kilocalories. The term “exercise” has been used interchangeably with “PA,” since the two share many common elements. Exercise is a subcategory of PA involving planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful body movements to improve or to maintain one or more components of PA.
A beneficial relationship between PA and PD was first suggested in 1992, when Sasco and colleagues reported that the risk of PD was reduced in men who played sports in college and adult life. This finding has been replicated in nearly all subsequent epidemiologic studies. Although differential effects in men and women are probable, other large studies found PA to similarly benefit both men and women.
Thus, the Parkinson’s Disease Project supports patients by organizing and conducting group activities leveraging volunteers to assist Parkinson’s patients with PA. If interested in participating, or volunteering to lead a group PA, please fill the form below. Thank you!
