Exercise Program Fights Parkinson’s Disease

People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) should start exercising as soon after diagnosis as possible, because this is a progressive disease. Patients face an increasing level of difficulty throughout their life while symptoms get worse over time and new symptoms appear. Some may be able to delay and prevent the severity of voice problems, for example, if they have been actively doing voice exercises in advance. The worst thing to do is to do nothing. For a person with Parkinson’s, inactivity will result in atrophy.

A specialized exercise program focuses directly on Parkinson’s symptoms. It will also help anticipate, prevent and delay symptoms. These exercises deal with symptoms in advance of their appearance with an eye to anticipating, delaying or even preventing symptoms from emerging. They can also reduce the harm symptoms can do both to the body and quality of life.

Newly diagnosed people with few symptoms can expect to delay the appearance of some symptoms, sometimes for years. People with mid-range symptoms can slow their progression and even reverse the progression with continual and committed exercise. Those with more advanced symptoms will be able to use the program by taking extra precautions for safety and be gentle and mindful to know when to pause when they feel tired or fatigued. The important thing is that every person with PD proceed at a pace that is comfortable for them.

For more information, call Kim Mihov at 201-722-1303 or visit Foundation.OhioHealth.com/delay-the-disease.

Tags: Parkinsons disease