It’s no secret that weight training is great for anyone. It keeps people leaner, healthier, and in most cases it keeps people looking and feeling younger. In a promising new report by the American Academy of Neurology, weight training is credited with helping people in a completely different aspect of their lives- it may help to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
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According to the American Academy of Neurology…
NEW ORLEANS – New research suggests weight training for two years significantly improves the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease compared to other forms of exercise such as stretching and balance exercises. The clinical trial, which compared two forms of exercise for Parkinson’s disease, was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.
“While we have known that many different types of exercise can benefit Parkinson’s patients over short time periods, we did not know whether exercise improves the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s over the long term,” said study author Daniel Corcos, PhD, with the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For the study, 48 people with Parkinson’s disease were randomized to progressive resistance exercise, known as weight training, or they were assigned to the exercise known as fitness counts, which includes flexibility, balance and strengthening exercises. The groups exercised for one hour, twice a week for two years.
The severity of motor symptoms, including tremors, was measured using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) after six, 12, 18 and 24 months of exercise. Scores were taken when the participants were not taking their medication.
While both forms of exercise reduced motor symptoms at six months of exercise, participants who did weight training saw a 7.3 point improvement in their UPRDS score after two years while the fitness counts group returned to the same scores they had at the start of the study.
“Our results suggest that long-term weight training could be considered by patients and doctors as an important component in managing Parkinson’s disease,” said Corcos.
Parkinson’s is a mind and body ravishing disease; at any stage, it has a significant impact on the quality of one’s life. A new study has shown that weight training may help to improve the severity of the symptoms, and may even help to regain motor function.
The disease, Parkinson’s is a degenerative condition that launches a full blown attack on the nervous system. Cells in the midbrain die and therefore dopamine levels drop significantly. The result is slower performance that gets worse and worse as time goes by. Unfortunately, not much is known about the condition- celebrities with Parkinson’s such as Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox have helped to raise public awareness throughout their battle in the spotlight.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s are first seen in the motor skills- movement is slowed and people start getting tremors and shaking. When it progresses, people who suffer lose control over their limbs and are unable to walk or hold objects.
Research is now showing that people who do weight training two or more times a week actually experience alleviation in some symptoms including slowness, stiffness, and tremors. During one study, a group of patients who tried weight training alone saw a significant reduction in their symptoms as opposed to a group that tried stretching and other exercises without weight training.
The effectiveness of weight training to help with Parkinson’s disease seems to be measured on a two year timeline. Patients who are in the later stages of the disease may have difficulty holding the weights, so to get the full benefits- starting a weight training routine has the most benefits when began early on.
Experts promote all types of exercise for short term improvement, but weight training seems to be the only one with long term benefits. Other popular exercises for Parkinson’s patients include Tai Chi and Yoga.
Have you or a loved one who is suffering from Parkinson’s tried weight training to help with the symptoms? Tell us what results you saw.
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