Exercise for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that mostly affects elderly people. It is characterized by the loss of motor control. In this article, we will discuss exercise for Parkinson’s disease and the ways an exercise program can positively affect your disease progression.
Does Parkinson’s improve with exercise?
While Parkinson’s Disease does not currently have a cure, a structured exercise program can help you maintain your strength, aerobic capacity, functional abilities and ability to live independently. An exercise program may even alter or slow down your disease progression. Exercise may improve gait speed, strength, brain function and even reduce pain. Finally, an exercise program can also reduce fatigue and other side affects you may face from your disease or medication therapy, and may also reduce depression and improve quality of life.
How much exercise is recommended for Parkinson’s?
If you have Parkinson’s Disease, you should ease into exercise gradually. However, you can eventually progress towards at least two muscle strengthening workouts per week and 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each week. These recommendations are based on the CDC exercise guidelines for all adults.
Strength Training
In the past, people with Parkinson’s Disease were often told to avoid resistance training due to concerns that resistance training would increase rigidity. However, many studies now support resistance training for Parkinson’s Disease. Resistance training can improve mobility, strength, muscle endurance, aerobic endurance, and body composition in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Resistance training may also improve gait and walking ability in people with Parkinson’s.
You can start resistance training twice per week. Start with one set of 10-12 reps on 8-10 different resistance exercises. As you progress, you can progress toward two or three sets per exercise and increase your resistance. You can also increase the intensity of your workouts by trying heavier weights for 4-8 reps per set. Additionally, you can work up to resistance training four times per week, following a split routine to allow time for muscle recovery.
Many people with Parkinson’s Disease develop muscle tightness and poor posture, so you may want to include extra exercises for your back and rear delts to improve posture and muscular balance.
How Can I Strengthen My Legs with Parkinson’s?
To strengthen your legs, start with basic muscle activation exercises like quad sets, floor glute bridges and adductor squeezes with a ball. As those exercises get easy, you can try squats to a box, glute bridges, leg lifts, seated hamstring curls, seated leg extensions, and other lower body exercises. Start with one set of 3-5 leg exercises twice per week. As your abilities improve, progress towards two or three sets of each of these exercises to build more strength and muscular endurance.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic training can boost endurance and stamina and also improve your heart health. You can start with one session of just 15-20 minutes per week. Good modes of exercise include walking, cycling, rowing and other low impact forms of cardio. Start with low intensity aerobic training. As you get fitter, you can add time to your routine, more sessions per week, or increase your pace or resistance for your cardio sessions.
As you improve your fitness, you can begin to incorporate cardio training four or five times per week.
Balance Training
Parkinson’s Disease can affect your balance and coordination. You should aim to include balance and stability exercises in your routine. However, you should avoid exercises that require you to stand on unstable surfaces to decrease your risk of falling. You may also want to enlist a trusted friend or partner to stay close by to decrease your chances of falling.
Stretching
A stretching and flexibility routine can also improve rigidity, posture and functional abilities. Try to include 3-5 gentle stretches that improve flexibility of all your major muscle groups after each resistance training session or aerobic workout. Hold stretches at a point of mild discomfort. You may want to start with short stretches and progress towards 15-30 seconds per stretch as you progress. If you need help, you can consult my guide about how to start stretching.
Final Thoughts
Exercise is vital for people with Parkinson’s Disease. If you need help getting started with a formalized exercise program, consider working with a qualified personal trainer.
However, even non-structured exercise can benefit you and improve your quality of life. Walking, cycling or even gardening can improve your capacity and fitness. If you have Parkinson’s disease, aim to make exercise part of your daily routine.
Notes
This article does not substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program.
References
Fayyaz M, Jaffery SS, Anwer F, Zil-E-Ali A, Anjum I. The Effect of Physical Activity in Parkinson’s Disease: A Mini-Review. Cureus. 2018 Jul 18;10(7):e2995. doi: 10.7759/cureus.2995. PMID: 30245949; PMCID: PMC6143369.
Jacobs, P. L. (2018). Nsca’s Essentials of Training Special Populations. Human Kinetics.
