What The Researchers Did
For their study, Alberts, co-researcher Chintan Shah, and other colleagues from the Cleveland Clinic, used functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the effect of exercise on 26 patients aged from 30 to 75 with mild to moderate Parkinsons disease.
fcMRI measures changes in blood oxygen in the brain, which enables researchers to look at how active different brain regions are and how well they connect with each other, explains Shah.
The researchers randomly assigned the patients to one of two groups. One group cycled at their own voluntary pace, while the other group cycled at a forced rate.
The groups completed exercise sessions on stationary bikes three times a week for 8 weeks. Both groups underwent MRI scans at the start and the end of the period, and also after four weeks of follow up.
The forced rate group had bikes fitted with specially controlled motors to make them cycle faster than their voluntary rate, as Alberts explains:
We developed an algorithm to control a motor on the bike and used a controller to sense the patients rate of exertion and adjust the motor based on their input.
Is It Safe To Use
The Theracycle is designed specifically for users with movement disorders and has many safety features. Its motion can be stopped instantly using either a push of a button or a pull of a cord. The structural steel and cast iron parts help support the users weight safely and the seat is extra large for comfort and stability.
What Are The Theracycle Specifications
Theracycle 100
20 W x 44 L x 57 H 220 lbs. Boxed for shipping 240 lbs
The electrical cord on all models is 9-feet long.
The Theracycle is a custom product, made in the USA by hand in Franklin, MA.
We first speak with every potential customer to assess their needs. This allows us to recommend with confidence the model that will immediately bring you the best result. During this conversation, we can also determine if customization is necessary. Our sales specialists do not work on commission. They are well informed about your condition and truly want to help you live the best life.
To speak to a sales specialist, please call us at , MondayFriday from 8:305:00 EST.
During this call you will be asked for information on where to ship, the riders height and weight for fitting, along with a credit card, which will be held securely until your unit is produced. Lead times vary, your sales specialist will let you know the expected ship window.
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Theracycle Therapy Products are made in the USA and shipped from Franklin, MA.
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I Have A Movement Disorder Which Precludes Me From Traditional Type Of Exercise Will The Theracycle Really Allow Me To Exercise
Yes. The Theracycles motor assists you in attaining continuous exercise for longer periods that, due to lack of strength and endurance, would otherwise not be possible on traditional exercise equipment for users with movement disorders. We are so convinced the Theracycle will work for you, we offer a money-back guarantee within 30-days of delivery if you are not completely satisfied.
How Cycling Helps To Slow Down Parkinsons Disease
In the summer of 2003, Dr Jay Alberts, a neuroscientist at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, took a bike
In the summer of 2003, Dr Jay Alberts, a neuroscientist at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, took a bike ride that would change medical history. He rode a tandem bike in the week-long Des Moines Registers Annual Great Bike Race . His partner on the bike was a woman affected with Parkinsons Disease, a long-term degenerative illness afflicting the central nervous system.
Symptoms of the disorder include shaking, rigidity, difficulty in walking as well as cerebral and behavioural problems and eventually dementia, and total incapacitation after perhaps 15 years. There is no cure. Treatment is generally carried out with medication that attempts to alleviate the symptoms and slow the progress of physical degeneration.
After riding a few days, Alberts noticed that his biking partner was showing signs of physical improvement, especially in her handwriting, which had become more legible and controlled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM-DBsdajTM
In 2006, Alberts rode a tandem bike with another patient, also a doctor, who used a deep brain stimulation implant to control his Parkinsons symptoms. As an experiment, the patient turned the device off for the ride.
Not surprisingly, the researchers also found that it improves overall wellness. In other words, cycling is good for everyone.
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Pedaling For Parkinsons Mission
The mission of Pedaling for Parkinsons is:
- To improve the quality of life of Parkinsons disease patients and their caregivers.
- To educate patients, caregivers, and the general public about the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle after a Parkinsons diagnosis.
- To support research dedicated to the prevention and treatment of Parkinsons disease.
Riding Ragbrai For Research
This year, the Davis Phinney Foundation joined Dr. Alberts and the Pedaling for Parkinsons team at RAGBRAI for this 411-mile ride in an effort to raise Parkinsons awareness and funds to support the Davis Phinney Foundations research and programs.
Wer excited to partner with our friends at the Davis Phinney Foundation, said Dr. Alberts, captain of the Pedaling for Parkinsons team. While Davis history in professional cycling is legendary, more importantly, hes a living example of what it truly means to live well with Parkinsons.
Dr. Alberts continues to study how the brain controls skilled movements and how changes in brain function affect the movement performance. In 2015, he was again awarded grant funding from the Davis Phinney Foundation to look at dual tasking and Parkinsons. This two-year intervention study will use a virtual reality assessment to improve motor and non-motor function in individuals with Parkinsons. If successful, the study aims to characterize Parkinsons dual task deficits and develop effective interventions targeting these declines.
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Parkinsons And The Benefits Of Biking
Editors note: On Saturday, Sept. 21, Hartford HealthCare is sponsoring Ride to Wellness, a free bike ride with 10- and 25-mile routes through scenic Cheshire. The ride starts and ends at the new Hartford HealthCare HealthCenter at 280 South Main Street in Cheshire. For more information on the Ride to Wellness, click here.
Balance issues, tremors, slowing down, and muscle stiffness are conditions millions of Americans face every day. For most, its probably related to growing older. But for others, it could signal Parkinsons disease. About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinsons each year.
Parkinsons disease is degenerative, and impacts the areas of the brain that manage movement, among other things. Dopamine, a chemical that helps control movement, is produced in nerve cells within the brain. When these nerve cells lose normal function or die off, it creates a shortage of dopamine, causing movement to be impaired.
There are many signs of Parkinsons, and not everyone experiences all of them. Some primary symptoms include:
- Tremor, affecting your hands, arms, or legs.
- Stiff muscles.
- Problems with balance or walking.
- Changes in handwriting and motor control.
While Parkinsons does get worse over time, the progression is usually slow. Patients may have mild symptoms for years. Over time, Parkinsons affects muscles throughout the body, leading to problems like difficulty swallowing or constipation.
For more information on the ride, click here.
Indoor Cycling As Effective In Treating Parkinson’s Disease As Medication Study Finds
Indoor cycling is effective, and right now seniors can take part in a World Championships of their own
ByMichelle Arthurs-Brennan2019-09-12T10:52:14Z
People in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease may see their symptoms dramatically improved by aerobic exercise like indoor cycling, a study has shown.
Researchers found that high intensity aerobic exercise on a static bike, using interactive apps, provided ‘about the same improvement’ as medication in patients.
Researchers working in the study, published in The Lancet Neurology, split a group of sufferers into two groups and monitored their progress over six months.
One group pedalled on home trainers, using software which showed course such as Tour de France stages, with variable resistance letting them compete against other patients on hills.
The other group did stretching exercises three times a week, also with an app to maintain motivation.
The control group scored four less points on the scale used to assess the motor skills of Parkinson patients.
Head of the research team professor Bas Bloem told broadcaster NOS: “The effect of cycling is about the same as the improvement we would get from different types of medication. New medication for patients are regarded as meaningful if the improvement it brings has a score of three. That shows you how important the effect of cycling really is.
The first event took place in 2017 and in 2018 2,500 riders took part, covering covering 52,000 km together.
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Cycling For Freezing Gait In Parkinson S Disease Youtube
Parkinson’s disease bicycle therapy. Cycling on stationary bikes may provide symptomatic relief for people with Parkinsons disease especially if they cycle using whats described as Forced Exercise ie. While wed never say it helps everyone with Parkinsons or that it is an exercise you must do if you want to live well with Parkinsons research studies have shown that many people have experienced significant benefits from pushing pedals on a regular basis. A research study at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio proved that individuals with Parkinsons disease who followed a forced-exercise regimen showed a significant reduction in their PD symptoms.
However Alberts says while forced-rate. While traditional exercise equipment requires a certain level of strength and endurance the Theracycles unique motor allows every individual to get the exercise they need regardless of their strength and endurance levels on any given day. It has been proven that 60-90 RPMs helps control tremors and bradykinesia slowed movements and walking.
Parkinsons Bicycle Therapy Scientists. In 2003 Jay Alberts PhD Cleveland Clinic was riding RAGBRAI on a tandem bicycle with Cathy a person with Parkinsons. This was the finding of a study at a scientific meeting in the US in 2012.
Correlation Between Changes In Biomarkers And Changes In Clinical Variables
Larger increases in BDNF were associated with greater improvements in UPDRS . Changes in BDNF were also positively correlated with improvements in VO2max . Changes in NCAM were negatively correlated with changes in percent body fat .
Figure 3. Correlation between change in plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor and change in clinical variables. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale. VO2max.
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Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms Shown To Be Reduced By Forced Pedaling On A Stationary Bicycle
Forced stationary bicycle pedalingtherapysignificantly reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s diseasepaper presented35% improvement in motor function. electric motorized mini cycleAnimal studieshigh cadence forced pedalingThe results were very impressiveOur experience has been positive
View video below
A Simple Way To Help Slow Parkinsons
Researchers have found that exercise can help slow the stages of Parkinsons disease through high aerobic activities that require balance such as bicycling. In fact, riding a bike has recently been studied and praised for its neuroprotective outcomes for those with a neurodegenerative disease. It is exercises that demand attention, repetition and progression of difficulty that a Parkinsons patient needs to reduce early onset symptoms.
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Idea For The Study Started On A Charity Ride
Study investigator Jay L. Alberts, a neuroscientist at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, first got the notion that exercise might be beneficial for Parkinsons patients during a 2003 charity cycle ride across Iowa, to raise awareness of Parkinsons disease. During that event he rode a tandem with a female Parkinsons patient, whose symptoms improved after the ride.
In a statement, in which he describes the finding as serendipitous, Alberts recalls:
I was pedaling faster than her, which forced her to pedal faster. She had improvements in her upper extremity function, so we started to look at the possible mechanism behind this improved function.
Cycle Riders May Speed Research To Slow Down Parkinsons Disease
Day after day, mile upon mile, Sally Terrell pedals away on a stationary bike in her Chagrin Falls, Ohio, home. However, shes doing more than just burning calories. The 62-year-old grandmother may be helping Cleveland Clinic researchers better understand how to slow the progression of Parkinsons disease , a progressive neurological disorder.
Its fantastic. Once I get on the bike its so invigorating and inspiring, exudes Sally, of her 30- to 40-minute rides, three- to four-days per week. Im helping myself and helping the research.
Sally is one of 250 PD patients participating in CYCLE , a multi-site clinical trial funded by a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. CYCLEs exercise group utilizes indoor cycling bikes from fitness technology company Peloton. The studys principal investigator, Cleveland Clinic researcher Jay Alberts, PhD, aims to determine if long-term, high-intensity aerobic exercise can slow the advancement of PD. Participants, like Sally, are recruited and overseen by teams at Cleveland Clinic and the University of Utah.
Sally says her cycling workouts are invigorating and inspiring. She has a great feeling of accomplishment after finishing a class.
These patients are real pioneers, says Dr. Alberts. By helping us understand more about PD and its evolution, we may be able to change the course of this disease.
One of Sally’s greatest joys is spending time with her grandkids.
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What Is Parkinsons Disease
It is estimated that nearly 10 million people suffer from Parkinsons disease around the world with 1 million of them living right here in the United States. Parkinsons disease results in uncontrollable movements and loss of coordination in the body due to malfunctioning or dying nerve cells.
The disease affects these cells that are responsible for producing the dopamine your body needs to control movements and as the disease worsens and the dopamine levels drop, the more severe the symptoms become.
New Parkinson’s Treatment On Two Wheels
Patients take to biking to help regain control over motor functions.
July 20, 2009 — Neuroscientist Jay Alberts is an avid cyclist, but he never expected to make any medical discoveries on his bike.
He did just that on a 50-mile ride across Iowa with his tandem bike partner, fellow neurologist Dr. David Heydrick, who has the movement disorder known as Parkinson’s disease.
After the bike trip, Heydrick noticed that his handwriting dramatically improved.
In a video they shot before the ride, Heydrick’s hand shook wildly, but afterward, it was steady.
In Alberts’ mind, the mysterious side effect of the bike ride held an intriguing medical possibility that motor control in the arms could improve even if it was the legs that were exercising.
“It suggested that there was some change in the central nervous system or the brain function,” Alberts told “Good Morning America.” “What we were thinking was, maybe we have found a method of exercise here that actually is treating the disease rather than just treating some of the symptoms.”
To find out, Alberts started a small trial at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, to test whether eight weeks of forced exercise on a tandem bike could improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Forced exercise requires the patient to peddle faster than they would voluntarily.
According to Alberts, the improvement lasted, although dwindled, for four weeks after the patients stopped biking.
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When Should You Start Riding
Even though bicycle therapy is exceptionally beneficial and relatively safe for individuals with Parkinsons disease, everyone should speak with their physician before beginning any exercise regime. Your physician knows your medical history and any limitations you may have, and they are best suited to give you the ok to start.
Once you have received the ok from your doctor, its best that you start your bicycle therapy on a stationary bike and not on a standard road bike. Stationary bikes are much safer than road bikes, but their single most important factor is they provide stability to keep you upright and pedaling.
Parkinson’s Disease Bicycle Therapy
Teaching an exercise program including aerobic exercise such as walking or riding a stationary bicycle to improve fitness and reduce tiredness stretching and range of motion exercises to keep muscles from getting tight strength-. Cycling for Freezing Gait in Parkinsons Disease – YouTube. In 2003 Jay Alberts PhD Cleveland Clinic was riding RAGBRAI on a tandem bicycle with Cathy a person with Parkinsons. The device in the video below is designed to use patterning bicycle motion to help retrain the brain to move faster. However Alberts says while forced-rate. Parkinsons Bicycle Therapy Scientists. An outpatient Physical therapy clinic which focuses on clients with Parkinsons disease and other neurological diseases.
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Want To Learn More About The Latest Research In Parkinsons Disease Ask Your Questions In Our Research Forum
In 2018, Shirlea Hennessy, Virginian Outpatient Therapys assistant director of rehabilitation, replicated the Cleveland Clinic study in a Parkinsons patient. The patients wellness program was supplemented with an hour of forced exercise on the Theracycle three times a week for eight weeks.
This approach led to an improvement in the UPDRS score from 36 to 6 in 12 weeks, loss of 10 pounds, more joy in daily activities including tai chi, yoga, Bible study, and visits with his grandchildren and regaining the confidence to drive.
To see such substantial improvements in his mobility symptoms in as little as eight weeks was remarkable, Hennessy, who is also a board-certified geriatric clinical specialist, said in a press release.
Similar to the 2009 study, the patient maintained his improvements for four weeks after stopping the program, revealing that a little effort can go a long way in establishing greater freedom and independence, Hennessy said. That freedom and independence is all that patients strive for as they face their diagnosis and symptoms.
Peter Blumenthal, Theracycles CEO, said that to see Virginian Outpatient Therapy replicate the Cleveland Clinic study with its own patient and produce equally impressive results is inspiring.
Hennessy will keep implementing forced exercise with a Theracycle for Parkinsons patients at the outpatient physical therapy provider and expects to see benefits across the board.