Why is Exercise Important and What Exercise Should You be Doing?
As you may have heard from experts in the field, exercise is a vital component of Parkinson's treatment, leading to improvements in motor-systems, along with improvements in depression and other areas (Yang et al., 2022). The type of exercise you choose should be based upon your symptoms and what you plan to accomplish. There are a multitude of exercise options, specifically geared towards the PD community. Research has found that:
Individuals who attended Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) reported improvements in fatigue, anxiety, and depression, as well as a decrease in fear of falling. More than 70% of attendees also report Improvement In social life and feeling drawn to the social support provided from attending the classes. (Larson et al., 2021)
Individuals with Parkinson's Disease who attend dance classes or dance therapy have shown Improvement in postural control in a short period of time and therefore, this may contribute to the prevention of falls and decrease in fear of falls. (de Almeida et al., 2021). Furthermore, improvisational dance has shown results indicating functional gains In both balance and cognition for individuals with PD (Fisher et al., 2020). Dance movement therapy has also been shown to improve quality of life in individuals with PD (Lihala et al., 2021).
Another form of exercise that is beneficial in this community is yoga. Yoga has shown to enhance functional mobility, balance, and quality of life (Suarez-Iglesias et al., 2021).
Along with yoga, tai chi and qigong have shown effectiveness Iin the PD community for Improving balance and functional mobility (García-Muñoz et al., 2022).
Archery has even been shown to improve both reports of depression and improvements in upper body functions like strength and dexterity, lower body functions, and even rigidity (Chen et al., 2023).