PD exercises

[AnasNatour]

Hi,

I read that PD progress can be stopped or reversed back by exercising. Unfortunately, I cannot find it now and I have no clue on the kind of exercises I should practise. Can you give me a hand?

Age: 30

More details in the pictures

[Farooqji]

You can do fast walk (at 80% of Max heart rate) or using treadmill . Daily 30 minutes exercise is sufficient

[sunvox]

There are hundreds of related studies, but perhaps you were thinking of this recent one that had dramatic results:

Effect of High-Intensity Treadmill Exercise on Motor Symptoms in Patients With De Novo Parkinson Disease

A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial

jamanetwork.com/journals/ja...

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In that study patients exercised on a treadmill. Initially they did 4-5 times a week, but by the end when they were doing their own exercise at home and not in the lab patients fell back to an average 3-4 times a week. This study found that only patients that maintained their heart rate at 80% to 85% of maximum were able to stop progression.

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Then there is this study in mice that showed exercise actually reduced the bad protein buildups associated with all Parkinson's patients:

Running wheel exercise reduces α-synuclein aggregation and improves motor and cognitive function in a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's disease

journals.plos.org/plosone/a...

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As I mentioned there have been many, many other related studies, but in my opinion they all showed less impressive results:

Parkinson's Disease and Forced Exercise: A Preliminary Study

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

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Exercise-enhanced neuroplasticity targeting motor and cognitive circuitry in Parkinson’s disease

exercisepd.com/uploads/3/5/...

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I run 30 minutes a day 5 times a week at 80% max heart rate, and my progression has stopped. I do not have PD but rather SCA1, but the diseases are very similar. I do, however, believe that tackling diseases like PD and SCA1 requires a multi-pronged approach including exercise, diet, healthy life choices, supplements, and meds. Here is what I am doing as an example of what I mean:

healthunlocked.com/ataxia-u....

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Lastly, I would say that there is a simple formula for estimating your max heart rate (220-age=max rate) but when I performed an actual test on myself I found my own max heart rate to be substantially less than the estimate from the formula hence my suggestion is if you decide to embark on a regimen of regular treadmill running you may want to speak with a physician first and see if he can sign you up for a heart test to determine your actual max.

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Joe

[AnasNatour in reply to sunvox]

This is very helpful .. thank you Sunvox

[SranSonu in reply to sunvox]

highly informative thank you

[laglag]

rocksteadyboxing.org works for me and many others. I'm 60 and have been doing RSB for over 11 years.

[AnasNatour in reply to laglag]

Thank you

[M_rosew]

It might be helpful if you could see a Neuro-physiotherapist for personalised advice.

With PD you are exercising to increase your speed of movement, and to maintain (or re-learn) movements that you could previously do without thinking. Walking takes months to learn as an infant, but over years becomes an automatic skill. We accumulate many such movement skills (buttons, typing, driving etc) until PD knocks out that storage area of your brain.

Check 'neuro plasticity'. The aim is to find a different part of your brain to take on the job. You will need to concentrate on your chosen exercises to feel, see (mirror) and hear (music) them.

Personal favourite website is <pdwarrior.com>.

Also see <outthinkingparkinsons.com>. Both on YouTube

<beatsmedical.com> have an excellent iPhone app to get feedback from daily movement and voice excercises (payment required).

[AnasNatour in reply to M_rosew]

Thank you very much.

[Waiyanwong1964]

You can find a Gym that teaches Rock steady Boxing which showed that it can slow the progress (research done in Indiana). Also fast walking as proposed by John Pepper is very helpful. Any kind of intense exercise will help. The emphysis is on “intense”.

[JohnPepper]

If you go to my website - reverseparkinsons.net you will see how I managed to reverse many of my Pd symptoms. I have continued to be medication-free since 2002 and at the age of 83 I live a 'normal' life. I still walk 7 kilometres in one hour every second day.

[jeffmayer]

Yes I believe it does I struggle to walk to far having been a keen hill Walker but I do cycle up to 140. Miles a week and find it great therapy any exercise will take your mind off your condition for a short period

[heidi1]

I am certified in Delay the Disease. You can go to their website to see if there are any clasess or trainers near you.

This is an evidence-based exercise program out of Columbus Ohio. You can order their books and DVDs online. Also go to YouTube and look up some of their videos.

I’ve personally seen my clients reverse their symptoms or delay them. DTD is based on getting your heart rate up then practicing your weakness. This formula helps create new pathways in the brain so you can relearn a task.

[Bazillion]

pdwarrior.com/

You might find this helpful depending on how much exercise you already take.

I play tennis twice a week,cycle 50 km twice a week and try to have a couple sessions of fast walking a week for 40 mins. It’s all about what you like /want to do, and what suits you.

[parkigirl]

There is no question that exercise of any kind at any level will assist in a variety of ways. There is no shortage of literature on this.

There are claims that high level continuous exercise may have added benefits and of course, strong disclaimers of the same, be that Boxing4Health or John Pepper's experiential book.

I was not able to Google 'sefirol' but the combination of the disease and the effects of PD medication (in this case Levodopa and Mirapex) indicate and influence symptoms including obsessive/compulsive impulse behavior (ie. excessive shopping) as well as mobility issues as time progresses.

Not in any way an expert other than as a 20 year caregiver, very close management of medications, maintenance of a healthy diet and social and physically activity lifestyle, experimentation of alternatives and dosages under the supervision of the best neurologist you can find and close professional attention and recognition to both motor and non-motor symptoms combined with an enlightened determination to accept and fight this disease would be my earnest prescription.

[2Bertie]

These are all good ideas. I personally try to do a bit of all of it. Stretches or yoga for flexibiltiy, lifting weights for strength of arms and legs - need it to be able to get back up if I fal or am on the floor playing with the grandkids, walking for the sheer joy of moving fast and for cardio and rock steady for all of the above and oh, Tai- Chi for balance and memory.

You have to move it or lose it whether you have P.D. or not! And spread it out over the day so that you give yourself a picker upper when you are feeling sluggish. Have you ever heard of LSVTBig. It is a neat therapy to try to get your body in good shape and insurance should cover it, when recommended by your doctor. You do it at a physical therapy place. Just look up LSVTBIG on the internet and they will help you locate a P.T. to do it with. Good luck and remember to keep positive. Happy day,

[S70AWD in reply to 2Bertie]

Caution: My insurance covered LSVT BIG, but my co-pay was $40 pre session, 3 sessions a week. Pretty steep for my wallet.

[2Bertie in reply to S70AWD]

sorry that you aren't covered. Medicare covers the cost. That would be cost prohibitive. You could order the tape on line and it will tell you what you need to do but you would really have to do it every day to get what you need out of it. Good luck with the exercises.

[Jenzo]

A combination of cardio, weight bearing and stretching. All good. I'm not a fan of yoga but I am trying to become one as stretching and avoiding stiffness are key. I think as we age it will be a go to for me. Exercise bikes (spinning classes) or just on your own are immensely good. Do small bursts of higher intensity during the ride. Free weights are very helpful as they promote balance. Whatever your level or ability. Start small and hang onto something for balance if necessary. Boxing is great for hand eye coordination. All of these help me. Good luck! Stay moving.