Benefits of Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease
January 7th, 2010 by Thomas MeraParkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by cardinal motor symptoms of tremor, slowness of movement, and rigidity [1]. Symptoms directly affect quality of life and activities of daily living by impeding coordination of multiple limbs and fine dexterity. This can be extremely debilitating, leading to decreased mobility and independence with increased risk for falling.
Current clinical PD therapies are designed to address disease motor symptoms; however, there are limitations associated with these approaches. Drug therapy (e.g., levadopa) effectiveness may decrease over time and lead to side effects such as dyskinesias (involuntary irregular movements) [2]. Patients may eventually consider surgical procedures such as deep brain stimulation when increased drug dose side effects outweigh the benefits. This procedure, however, has limitations and risks, such as improper lead placement, decreased effectiveness over time, and not being appropriate for all patients [3].
While treatments such as drug therapy and surgical procedures are clinical standards, new research suggests exercise as a potentially less invasive alternative/adjunct treatment. It has been well established that exercise reduces risks of developing chronic diseases such as cancer, obesity, and heart disease [4-6]. Such benefits of exercise can also be translated to motor improvement in PD [7, 8]. The general concept behind the benefit of exercise in PD suggests that physical exercise may stimulate specific biochemical changes to induce production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in allowing the body to perform smooth controlled movements [9]. The sedentary lifestyle associated with PD promotes further motor symptom impairment through muscle weakness, postural imbalance, and increased risk of falling [10]. Thus, there exists an urgency to develop PD-specific exercise regimens early in disease progression in an attempt to break or delay this debilitating cycle.
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10. Ashburn, A., et al., A randomised controlled trial of a home based exercise programme to reduce the risk of falling among people with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 2007. 78(7): p. 678-84.
Tags: exercise, parkinson's disease, Parkinson's Research, Parkinson's therapy