I just learned about PD Warrior on this blog and it is insightful. Personally, I am early with light symptoms, mainly a tremor right hand. Exercise is something I am becoming very focused on having been diagnosed about 6 months ago. Two questions were immediately on my mind: intensity and how often. I worried that I needed to lighten up in my workouts. I suggest looking at this site as they answer these two questions in a way that offered valuable insight to me.
Skill acquisition means the learning of new movement efficiencies, automaticity and functional capacity. A good example of this might be the way you put on your clothes in the morning...
Skill acquisition is one of the wonders of the brain. It is the plasticity of the neural circuits that enable skill acquisition and enable improvement when you have Parkinson’s. To achieve skill acquisition though, you need to train regularly, you need to train intensively, you need to train in a variety of environments and you need to train specific to your needs.
It is important to note as well that learning novel and new skills and movement efficiencies when you have Parkinson’s can be impaired. It is the damage to the Basal Ganglia, your circuit board, that reduces your learning capacity. That is why it is vitally important, that you train regularly. If you train every second day when learning a new skill you could essentially be taking two steps forward and one step back every day you miss.
The National Parkinson Foundation in the USA suggests early PD diagnosis requires 2.5hrs weekly intensive exercise like running or cycling...take a look their website it is inspiring and positive. UK neurologists are behind on this advice. Intensive exercise is the only thing research suggests is neuroprotective in PD. There was a great clip in a radio 4 programme fri 15th 12noon, on cycling with a woman from Iowa who massively improved her PD symptoms by intensive cycling. You should also look at the pwrmoves programme based in Arizona, exercise for life, which is also great for exercise advice and their approach also talks about exercise being neuroprotective. Becky Farley who heads up pwr moves is the origin of LSVT Big which was a precursor physio led PD exercise programme.
41 physios were trained as PD warrior instructors in Birmingham in June this year and a group of 25 were trained in Bristol last June, it is here but requires a francise to call a class PD Warrior, though you can call it PD Warrior based without the francise.
Hope this helps, I am a physio who is passionate about positive exercise for PD
Are you in the UK Rachr? I'm very interested in this but none of my health team have ever taken any interest in how exercise might help and I find myself piecing it all together through my own research. It would be great if there were PD warrior classes throughout the uk. I'm seeing my PD nurses in August and I'll raise this with them to see what they know.
I live in Australia and have attended a weekly class in PD Warrior since I developed a Left sided tremor over 4 years ago. The Specialist says that my Parkinson's is still extremely mild. While it cannot be proved I think PD Warrior has helped me and others in the class. Intensity is the key -. each exercise is done for 2 minutes at high intensity.
I do crossfit 5 to 6 days a week to say it helps is a under statement. I am 62 11 years with PD
My meds re 1 50/200 C/L ext release and 1 25/100 C/L 5 times a day (every 4 hours and 1 25/100 at 3 am) 1 6 mg Requip 24 hour release and 1 azilext and fish oil.
Crossfit is high intensity work out about1 hour a day. I started 18 months ago and i am 100% better now.
My most intense work out was Murf i did it in 52 minutes
Lu45, thank you so much for sharing. 6 months ago I was dxd with PD and, like you, the primary symptom is a tremor, right hand in my case. If I drink wine it quells the tremor and I started Azilect about a month ago. I consider it manageable, or a mild tremor, but worry based on my knowledge of PD, I want to do all I can to halt or slow progression since at this time there is no cure. Like you, I began to understand the importance of exercise, not just the yoga I was formerly doing, but higher intensity cardio (run / walk / rowing). That started a few months ago and I feel better, both from that and from the Azilect. The tremor seems to have improved some as well. Overall, the overwhelming benefit of exercise so far is just generally feeling better. I feel pretty good - thankfully - except an ongoing battle with headaches that interfere with working out at times. I am trying to combat that with water intake. I hope I can report a similar result as you in four years and I am interested in learning more about PD warrior.
Yes I am based in Cheadle outside Manchester working mixture of NHS and private at Neurological Physiotherapy if you want a chat we might be able to find someone near where you are who can help
Hi Rachel its really interesting to read some of your thoughts and I think I may have heard of your practice through my mother who heads the Parkinson's Working age group in Trafford. I also attempted to get referred to you when my Parkinson's nurse told me to go to neurophysio but instead I get referred to breightmet. I would like to obtain any info you have on the PD warrior classes as I'm really interested and would appreciate any tips with regards to an exercise regime.
Have you seen my postings about Rock Steady Boxing (RSB)? It started in Oct. 2006 and is an exercise program strictly for PwP’s (Persons with Parkinson’s). A County Prosecutor that started RSB has PD and his friend, a former boxer, told him to get off the couch & start exercising so they decided to box. Amazingly, they realized it was really helping his symptoms so that’s when they decided to start RSB. I was diagnosed in 2003 and began the program in Jan. 2007. I have progressed a little, but most people cannot tell I have PD. After a few years they decided to reach out to others so they started an affiliate program which includes a “Training Camp” so they can teach others wanting to be a RSB coach. They are teaching coaches the things it took them several years to learn. Neurologists have seen what the program has done for PwP’s and are now recommending they start RSB immediately after being diagnosed. I’m attaching an interview that Leslie Stahl had with her husband that has PD & has been attending RSB in New York. She also interviews the Director of Research at the University of Indpls. that did a 2 year research project involving RSB and found that most people either improved or had very little progression.
You can see if there is an affiliate near you (there are now over 200 in the U.S. and a few internationally). (This includes several in Florida). You can see my testimonial under: About/Testimonials/Debbie The website also shows many more videos throughout RSB’s history.
I have NOTHING to gain by telling you about this. I know this program works and I just want it to help you like it’s helped me. It has helped hundreds of people and the sooner you start it the better. This program also has 4 different levels so you can be someone that has just been diagnosed all the way to someone in a wheelchair.
Laglag, thank you so much. I never thought of myself as a boxer but then I didn't see this coming either. I am very curious about this and will look into it tomorrow. Thanks again!
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