Parkinson’s, being a disorder of the central nervous system, affects an individual’s motor system and results in shaking, tremors, difficulty in walking, etc. While there are medications like Levodopa and Amantadine which are often prescribed, exercising (as an add-on activity) could be one of the best ways to stay healthy in Parkinson’s. Let’s understand how:
1 . It is proven effective
According to a Swedish study, six hours of moderate exercise weekly may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 43 percent. Regular exercise regime can result in the stable posture, flexibility in joints and muscles, reduced stiffness, and increase the ability to walk safer. Moreover, it enhances your overall quality of daily life and helps in performing your tasks with much ease.
That being said, maintaining consistency is the key to achieve satisfactory management of the neurological disorder. Adding a healthy diet to your exercising plan should also help you live well with Parkinson’s.
2 . It is individualized
Developing an individual exercise plan helps an individual improve his/her impaired functional performance, caused by environmental factors or fatigue, depression, and freezing. Exercises involving occupational therapy such as personal grooming, preparing meals and other similar kinds of jobs may help in improving coordination and open up the limits of the activities of their daily life.
Parkinson’s fighters with severe freezing episodes and pain in muscles can take up activities like finger isolation, sewing, knitting, manipulating small nuts and bolts, etc. These exercises help in enhancing the performance of functional activities.
Due to poor breath found in Parkinson’s patients, the speech tends to get slurred and unclear. It is interesting to know that exercises prescribed by a speech therapist could improve the vocal quality, fluency in speech and swallowing functions. This clearly promises that exercise can be a boon to people with Parkinson’s disease.
3 . It never gets boring
Physical Therapy helps Parkinson’s fighters reach an optimum level of coordination. With different exercise for different symptoms, it never gets boring as you evolve.
Physical Therapy focuses on motor control relearning and gait retraining with a range of exercise. Rotation exercises like neck and trunk rotation, pelvic tilt, postural control bring a lot of flexibility into a patient’s body. Besides, stretching exercises are known to curb the effects of contractures and quadriceps.
4 . It helps you induce calm
Having witnessed the popularity during recent times, it comes as no surprise that Hatha Yoga (postural exercises) has contributed to making the lives of Parkinson’s fighters stress-free. According to the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), Yoga Therapy has visibly reduced tremors and improved the steadiness of an individual’s gait. Besides, it instills confidence in individuals and also helps in relaxing tight and stiff muscles. Pranayama and Hatha Yoga are known to improve posture, balance, and mind-body-breath connection.
A video of the suggested exercises would be more beneficial than word descriptions.