Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, causing symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, exercise has been shown to significantly improve symptoms, enhance mobility, and boost overall quality of life. This blog post provides exercise recommendations tailored for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
Benefits of Exercise:
Improved Motor Function: Regular physical activity can enhance strength, flexibility, and coordination.
Better Balance and Posture: Exercise helps improve balance and reduce the risk of falls. Increased Mobility: Engaging in regular movement can maintain and improve gait and overall mobility.
Enhanced Mental Health: Exercise can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, common in Parkinson’s patients.
Delayed Progression of Symptoms: Consistent exercise may slow the progression of motor symptoms and improve overall quality of life.
Types of Exercise:
- Aerobic exercises: Continuous activities such as walking, biking, swimming or running. Aerobic activities help improve cardiovascular health, endurance, bradykinesia and lower extremity strength. Goal is 3x/week for a minimum of 30 minutes each.
- Strength exercises: Target major muscle groups of both upper and lower body w/ weights, resistance bands or body-weight. Benefits of strength training include improvement in muscle strength, stability, balance, reduction of bradykinesia and rigidity. Examples include squats, bicep curls, lunges and push-ups. Goal is 2-3x/week for a minimum of 30 minutes with 10-15 repetitions per exercise.
- Balance/Agility: Exercises to target multidirectional stepping and navigating a busy environment. Examples include large movements, tai chi, yoga, single-leg balance and heel-to-toe walking. Goal is 2-3x/wk.
- Stretching: Stretching can help alleviate some of the physical challenges associated with Parkinson’s, including truncal rigidity and improve overall well-being. Examples include cat-cow, cobra and thread-the-needle. Goal is 2-3x/wk at a minimum.
