Is exercise capable of slowing symptom progression? Is it just hype or does it offer real hope?
Shelley Bernstein graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2003. In 2005 she was selected to be the physiotherapist in the Movement Disorders Clinic run by Professor Robert Iansek in the Elsternwick branch of his Victorian Comprehensive Parkinson’s Program (VCCP)
Recently Shelley posted an article titled ‘Intensity is NOT negotiable’ that received a lot of attention and has been shared widely. However, it also sparked an interesting conversation in how accurate the statement was, so she elaborated further this week.
Intensity is one of the key components of a neuroplastic exercise program that I believe makes the difference in exercise being effective in treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s or not. Intensity being defined as frequency, duration, cardio-vascular load, motor output, power per rep and overall effort level, and symptoms being defined as the impairments most commonly seen in Parkinson’s such as bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, proprioception loss, reduced reaction speed, reduced cognitive processing speed etc.
Based on the current and mounting evidence, clinical experience over the past 20 years and many interviews with internationally renowned academics in the exercise and Parkinson’s space and patient’s first hand experiences – that exercise can reverse your clinical symptom presentation in the short term and has the potential to further slow your symptom progression in the longer term.
Read More here: https://pdwarrior.com/
Fighting Fit is an innovative residential weekend programme for younger and working-age people with Parkinson’s that encourages self-awareness and helps each participant to take greater control of their life. The aim is to provide information and sign-posting, to share experiences and discuss the practical and emotional impact of living and working with Parkinson’s.
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