Thursday, March 28, 2024

Fitness Counts Parkinson’s Disease

Whats Included In The Membership

Parkinson’s Disease Exercises: Functional Fitness

Our extensive Parkinson’s specific exercise class video library! With over 500 videos inside, you gain access to a variety of classes you can consume at your own pace and time.

LIVESTREAM exercise classes through Zoom 6 days a week! This is where you can exercise with us real-time and e-meet your fellow Rogue in Motion members.

Opportunity to ask questions about your exercise plan, diet, and other concerns answered by physical therapists who specialize in Parkinsons.

How To Exercise With Parkinsons

Episode 108 of the Parkinsons Podcast is a 30-minute interview with Dr. Jay Alberts, a biomedical engineer at the Cleveland Clinic and founder of Pedaling for Parkinsons. Dr. Alberts found riding a tandem bike with someone who has no PD results in brain changes, minimizing symptoms . Any exercise that increases the quantity and quality of information to the brain should result in the same symptomatic improvement.

Why Is Exercise Important

There is substantial research that indicates that exercise can have a positive benefit for people with Parkinsons on their symptoms, quality of life, longevity, and may even be able to slow down the disease progression.

And here at Rogue in Motion, we believe that everyone with PD should have continuous access to high-quality exercise programs through their entire life, EVEN WHEN AT HOME.

Exercises which can help you:

Improve your stamina, strength, and flexibility – allowing you to continue with the activities you’ve always loved.

Go from needing assistance to being independent to climb into bed, get down and up off the floor, and get out of a chair without using your hands.

Achieve a level of fitness you never thought was possible

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Exercise A Helpful Prescription For Parkinsons Patients

People with Parkinsons often have difficulty moving normally and safely due to their movement disorder. According to Heather Cianci, physical therapist and Geriatric Team Leader at The Dan Aaron Parkinson’s Rehab, Penn Therapy & Fitness/Good Shepard Penn Partners who is a national presenter on Parkinsons, Anyone who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s should not leave their neurologist’s office with just a prescription for medication, but also a prescription for physical therapy.”

We all know that exercise is good for us. Some of the many benefits include decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, improved mobility and strength, and less stress. The Surgeon General recommends 30 to 60 min of moderate to intense physical activity 5 to 7 days/ week. Finding the time to exercise 2 to 3 hours a week can be a struggle. If you have a neurological disease such as Parkinson’s, however, the challenges to exercise are even greater.

People with Parkinson’s often have difficulty moving normally and safely due to their movement disorder. According to Heather Cianci, physical therapist and Geriatric Team Leader at The Dan Aaron Parkinson’s Rehab, Penn Therapy & Fitness/Good Shepard Penn Partners who is a national presenter on Parkinson’s, “Anyone who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s should not leave their neurologist’s office with just a prescription for medication, but also a prescription for physical therapy.”

The following are some useful websites and information on Parkinson’s Disease:

Chasing Protection In Parkinsons Disease: Does Exercise Reduce Risk And Progression

Fitness Counts
  • Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

Exercise may be the most commonly offered yet least consistently followed therapeutic advice for people with Parkinsons disease . Epidemiological studies of prospectively followed cohorts have shown a lower risk for later developing PD in healthy people who report moderate to high levels of physical activity, and slower rates of motor and non-motor symptom progression in people with PD who report higher baseline physical activity. In animal models of PD, exercise can reduce inflammation, decrease -synuclein expression, reduce mitochondrial dysfunction, and increase neurotrophic growth factor expression. Randomized controlled trials of exercise in PD have provided clear evidence for short-term benefits on many PD measurements scales, ranging from disease severity to quality of life. In this review, we present these convergent epidemiological and laboratory data with particular attention to translationally relevant features of exercise . In the context of these findings we will discuss clinical trial experience, design challenges, and emerging opportunities for determining whether exercise can prevent PD or slow its long-term progression.

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Exercise For Parkinsons Recommendations For Managing Symptoms

This 8-page booklet includes an overview of exercise for Parkinsons Disease , a word on PD exercise research, safety considerations, recommendations PD exercise, PD exercise principles, a table of PD symptoms and suggested movement and activities to help manage them, and links to Exercise for Parkinsons Training for Professionals and to free online exercise videos.

Davis Phinney And Kelsey Phinney Practice Vocal Exercises For Parkinson’s

In this 23-minute episode of The Parkinson’s Podcast, Davis Phinney and his daughter and podcast host, Kelsey Phinney, practice and explain some vocal warmup exercises before Davis sings a few pop songs. Davis’s voice gets louder and clearer over the course of the session and is a good demonstration of the benefit of speech therapy and daily practice of speech exercises, including singing, for those with Parkinson’s.

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Study: Weight Training Improves Parkinsons Symptoms

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 25,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimers disease, epilepsy, Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit or find us on , , and .

Exercise And The Rate Of Pd Motor And Non

Parkinson’s Disease Exercises: Boxing with Strength

Exercise may also be disease-modifying in fully manifest PD as well as in prodromal and preclinical stages. Longitudinal cohort studies have demonstrated that exercise can be a predictor of slower progression of both motor and non-motor symptoms. In the population-based Parkinsons Environment and Gene study in central California, Paul et al. evaluated the association between physical activity and progression of both motor and non-motor symptoms in 244 subjects with early PD . They analyzed the subjects history of ever having participated in competitive sports and their overall physical activity level, in metabolic-equivalent hours per week , across 4 age periods of adulthood. Over 5.3 years of follow-up they observed that those with a history of competitive sports were less likely to suffer a 4-point decline on the Mini-Mental State Exam , or convert to stage 3 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale of motor disability . There was also a trend between higher MET-h/week and slower progression on MMSE and conversion to Hoehn and Yahr stage 3, with HR 0.71 , and 0.73 , respectively, .

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Exercise Strategies To Combat The Symptoms Of Pd

This 36-minute lecture by Catherine Printz, PT, DPT, NCS, includes an overview of what research shows is the benefit of exercise to those with PD, how to determine which exercise is best for you, commonly asked questions in her physical therapy clinic and solutions to address common mobility problems.

Meaningful Physical Activity For Those Impacted By Parkinson’s Disease

On the Day 2 video of the Upper Midwest Parkinson’s Symposium, at timestamp 1:31, you will find a one-hour talk by Dr. Kristin Pickett, PhD. She explains the difference between occupational therapy and physical therapy . She believes those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease should have PT, OT and speech therapy as part of their care team early on. Especially if you hate “exercise,” you can incorporate physical activity/movement into your everyday tasks. This is what she means by “meaningful physical activity.”

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Exercise For People In Early

Dr Schenkman, Dr Schwartz, and Dr Kohrt provided concept/idea/research design. Dr Schenkman, Dr Barón, Dr Schwartz, and Dr Kohrt provided writing. Dr Hall, Dr Schwartz, Ms Mettler, and Dr Kohrt provided data collection. Dr Schenkman, Dr Barón, Dr Schwartz, Ms Mettler, and Dr Kohrt provided data analysis. Dr Schenkman and Ms Mettler provided project management. Dr Schenkman provided fund procurement. Dr Schwartz and Dr Kohrt provided facilities/equipment. Ms Mettler provided clerical support. Dr Hall provided consultation . The authors gratefully acknowledge members of the research team who made this study possible and the participants with Parkinson disease, without whom there would have been no study.

Physical Therapy

Basic Science Supporting Exercise As A Disease Modifier In Pd

Fitness Counts

In animal models of PD, exercise has shown to be neuroprotective against the neurotoxins, 6-OHDA and MPTP. Several protective mechanisms have been implicated, including neurotrophic growth factors release, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammation . Tillerson et al. demonstrated in both 6-OHDA and MPTP rodent models that fixed-speed treadmill exercise twice a day for 10 days post-lesioning resulted in recovery of behavioral deficits and attenuated the loss of striatal dopamine, DOPAC, homovanillic acid, dopamine transporter, tyrosine hydroxylase, and vesicular monoamine transporter compared to those rodents who were not exposed to exercise. A prior study by Tillerson et al. also showed that forcing unilaterally 6-OHDA-lesioned mice to use their contralateral, impaired forelimb for the first 7 days post-intrastriatal 6-OHDA infusion could also attenuate both the resulting neurochemical as well as behavioral deficits. They postulated that this neuroprotection was due to the release of neurotrophic growth factors, and then provided evidence for glia cell-derived neurotrophic factor as a candidate mediator .

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Baseline Testing And Outcome Measures

All testing took place at the University of Colorado and was performed by studypersonnel who were blinded to group allocation. The first test session tookplace at a time of day when participants had their best response to PDmedications subsequent sessions were conducted as close to that time aspossible.

In one session, energy expenditure was measured at 4 walking speeds in 0.5-mph increments . The maximum speed was based on theparticipant’s fastest tolerable speed during the graded exercise test. Aheart rate monitor was worn throughout the test. First, a resting measurementwas obtained with the participant sitting in a chair for 5 minutes. Then theparticipant walked for 5 minutes at each of 4 different speeds, beginning withthe slowest speed. Oxygen uptake was measured during the last 2 minutes of eachstage using an automated indirect calorimeter system .

Performance on the FRT, a test of balance in older adults, was measured as described previously. The FRT is predictive of falls and can be used reliably withindividuals who have PD. Participantsperformed 2 practice trials and 3 test trials.

Brain And Brawn: Combining Cognitive Training With Exercise

Nate Coomer, DPT, speaks for an hour about the relationship between cognition and exercise. He summarized several research articles to demonstrate that a) exercise improves cognition functioning, and b) cognitive function is necessary for mobility. Therefore, just getting physically stronger isn’t enough. You must train cognition to maintain or improve mobility.

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Motor Signs And Medication Status

The mean off-medication UPDRS-III score decreased for both mFC and PRE from baseline to 6 months these changes did not differ by group . Between group differences in the change scores from baseline were significant at 12 , 18 , and 24 months . At 24 months, the mFC group had returned to a similar baseline UPDRS-III score whereas the PRE group score was – 7·4 points lower.

Change from Baseline Scores for All Outcomes in the Two Exercise Groups

The mean change from baseline in the off-medication UPDRS-III score , the levodopa equivalent dose , off-medication elbow flexion torque , off-medication elbow flexion velocity , off-medication modified Physical Performance Test , and Parkinsons Disease Questionnaire 39 at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The dashed lines indicate the Modified Fitness Counts group , and the solid lines indicate the Progressive Resistance Exercise group . Negative change scores indicate improvement in UPDRS-III score, levodopa equivalent dose, and Parkinsons Disease Questionnaire 39. Positive change scores indicate improvement in elbow flexion torque, elbow flexion velocity, and Modified Physical Performance Test.

Randomized Controlled Trials Of Exercise And Pd

Think Big, Move Bigger Exercises with Parkinson’s Disease

There have been many clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of exercise as a symptomatic therapy for PD motor and NMS . Nevertheless, the variability in study design, exercise mode and regimen, participant selection, and outcome measurement tool used in the RCTs makes comparison between the studies difficult, and results in the inability to define exercise prescription i.e., the formulation , dose , route , frequency , and duration . While not intended to exhaustively cover all exercise RCTs in PD, this section summarizes some of the more recent and rigorous interventional study data, highlighting RCTs that addressed the important question of exercise prescription in their design. This section aims to lay the groundwork and underline the need for more rigorously designed exercise RCTs, as will be discussed in our final section Designing clinical trials for exercise.

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The Science And Methodologies Behind Parkinson’s Exercise

In this 1-hour talk, Parkinson’s wellness coach Kris Meldrum makes the point that people with Parkinson’s need to understand how to exercise if they want to see reduced Parkinson’s symptoms, reduced dependence on medications, and slowing of symptom progression. She explains the science behind high-intensity training before highlighting three Parkinson’s exercise programs that offer coaching so you exercise at the level necessary to affect Parkinson’s symptoms.

My Parkinson’s Story: Exercise

This 9-minute video alternates between an interview with a man and his wife, the man’s neurologist and Parkinson’s researcheers. The man and his wife share how he was freezing and falling daily until he began exercising regularly. Researchers explain how exercise helps by prevention, compensation and neuoplasticity. Regular exercise for strengthening, cardiovascular fitness, stretching, agility and balance have as powerful an effect on fluidity of movement as Parkinson’s medications.

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Designing Clinical Trials For Exercise

Exercise trials present unique opportunities and challenges for investigators and subjects. From an individual subject standpoint, being involved in an exercise trial provides them with the chance to become more physically active, and develop a structured training plan with increased supervision and external motivation. The role of exercise in PD has attained great interest in both research and public forums . For investigators, this increased enthusiasm for exercise may translate into quicker subject recruitment and improved adherence to protocol. Moreover, these trials may be comparatively easy to initiate with less regulatory, intellectual property, and financial hurdles compared to trials investigating new pharmaceutical agents or medical devices. For all parties involved, these trials have lower safety concerns, with several studies demonstrating no or minimal morbidity in individuals with PD, as reviewed in Mak et al. . Lastly, the increased utility of ehealth technology lends itself nicely to designing new exercise trials, as will be expanded upon below.

Exercises To Prioritize When You Have Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson

In this 16-minute YouTube video doctor of physical therapy, Sarah King, shares that at least two studies have demonstrated daily exercise slows the progression of Parkinson’s disease . Dr. King summarizes from those studies how often and how vigorously those with PD should exercise in order to benefit. Dr. King then describes how to prioritize the exercises you’ve been given by a physical therapist, those specific to PD, and those you just enjoy, depending on individual needs.

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Study Design And Participants

We conducted a prospective, parallel-group, single-center, randomized controlled trial between September 2007 and July 2011. Patients with idiopathic Parkinsons disease, confirmed by a Movement Disorders specialist as outlined by the Parkinsons Disease Society Brain Bank criteria, were self-referred or recruited from Rush University Medical Center . Patients were evaluated at the University of Illinois at Chicago . We targeted patients with moderate disease severity since these patients are sufficiently impaired so that a treatment effect can be observed, and they are not so impaired that there are major safety issues. Patients were eligible if they were 50 to 67 years on stable dopaminergic therapy and able to walk for six minutes. Patients were ineligible if they had a neurological history other than Parkinsons disease significant arthritis failed the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire had cognitive impairment as indicated by a Mini-Mental State Examination score < 23 were already exercising or had surgery for Parkinsons disease. Patients were followed for 24 months or until they withdrew from the study. The institutional review boards at RUMC and UIC approved the study. Patients provided written informed consent. Race and ethnicity data were recorded as required by NIHs policy .

Spotlight On Parkinson’s Disease: Getting Ready To Move

In this 1-hour webinar Terry Ellis, PhD, PT, shares the US HHS exercise guidelines. She briefly explains the benefit of exercise on the quality of life for those with Parkinsons, why people are resistant to exercise, and what motivates people to exercise, before sharing tips and tricks for successfully integrating exercise into daily life. The last 20 minutes are spent answering listener questions.

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Exercise And The Risk Of Developing Pd

Most prospective cohort studies have found an inverse relationship or trend between physical activity and the subsequent development of PD , with a pooled hazard ratio of 0.66 for developing PD when comparing the highest level of physical activity with the lowest level . The first published study linking prior physical activity to PD was by Sasco et al. who carried out a case-control study in 50,002 male students attending the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard College between the years 1916 and 1950. Their study observed lower odds of developing PD if the student played varsity sports or underwent regular exercise in college with OR of 0.64 and 0.83, respectively. They also observed that in adulthood, those subjects who engaged in moderate exercise or heavy sports had lower odds of developing PD, although neither of these associations achieved statistical significance .

Other epidemiological studies that support the inverse relationship between physical activity and developing PD include studies from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study cohort , the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health Examination Survey , a populated-based case-control study in California , and the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe .

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