Saturday July 9, 2011
blog
Pilates Benefits Patients with Parkinson's Disease
People with Parkinson's Disease (PD) have trouble controlling the way
they move. They develop tremors, find it difficult to stay balanced, and
instead of moving may do just the opposite - become stiff and rigid.
They may have to take drugs - like levodopa - just to be able to do
normal, everyday activities. But now some individuals with PD are
finding a way to move more easily that doesn't involve taking more
drugs. Instead, they're doing Pilates exercises.
Pilates exercises use very small movements, and are based on the
theory that it's more important to move properly once than to move
incorrectly many times. They're also gentle; many are done either
sitting or lying down, with only partial weight-bearing. This makes them
ideal for rehabilitation, and in fact they're sometimes recommended for
other conditions, like multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and scoliosis.
One of the biggest advantages of Pilates, though, is the flexibility
of its routines. Exercises can be tailored to meet the individual needs
of the people doing them.
Pilates has been recommended for Parkinson's before. However, a new
program at the Parkinson's Center of the Oregon Health and Science
University has proven to be a real benefit for its participants, who
have found it helped them be stronger, more flexible, and more balanced.
The program, started in early 2006, is so popular that it currently has
a waiting list. Right now the only documentation of the benefits of
Pilates to patients with PD is in the testimonials of the people who do
it.
But OHSU is planning to do research on the effects of exercise on
Parkinson's Disease symptoms. So far, their studies with rats who have
very little dopamine (the main characteristic of PD) have shown that
exercise - in this case, on a treadmill - can help the return of some
muscle movement. But they have no studies with humans - yet.
One of the participants of the OHSU program may have given the
best testimonial of all when he said that doing Pilates has helped him
be more positive. And a positive attitude may be the best way to live
with a chronic disease like Parkinson's.
Reprinted in part. Click Here for full article and links.
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