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> Dear Everyone, > > J. R. Newbrough suggested that I post a list of references that dealt > with the benefits of exercise for PD, so that all who are interested > can go to the library and read these articles. > > I am doing my dissertation on the effects of strength and balance > training on PD for persons with stage III PD. As some of you may know, > falling is a major problem for all older adults, but especially so for > persons with PD. In fact, Parkinsons's has been called the > "falling sickness". A pilto study was recenty conducted by myself and > others. This purpose of this study was to determine if training could > helppreviously sedentary persons with PD improve their balance. The results were > remarkable!!! Persons with stage I-IV PD who fell regularily prior to > the training had no falls following 10 weeks of strength and balance > training. > > Specific training for the muscles of the lower extremities and > training of the balance sensory systems have shown to be very > beneficial for persons with PD. This is exciting because it shows that > a person with a degenerative neurological condition can experience > significant improvements. I believe that exercise, not drug therapy > alone will be an extremely beneficial type of therapy of the future. > Unfortunately, very few persons are exercising on a regular basis. > Research stusdudies on the incidence of exercise in the adult > population show that only 8% of all adults in this country exercise 3 > or more times per week! Persons with a disability or persons who are > institutionalized have very low physical activity levels. In general, > persons with disabilities tend to exercise less than healthy adults. > Persons with low physical activity levels are also more dependent on > others for help in activities of daily living. Persons with PD who > remain active throughout their condition outlive persons with PD who > are sedentary. Thus, an elevated physical activity level may be the > key to both longevity and quality of life in PD! > > An interesting phenomenon is that it's as difficult to persuade > persons with PD to exercise as it is to persuade college > undergraduates that older adults can BENEFIT from exercise. We must > learn to overcome the stereotypes we have of aging and disease. > Participation in exercise can help to improve health, decrease the > risk of injury sustained during a sudden fall, and ultimately it will > wipe out the idea that persons with disabilities cannot improve on > anything. > > I am 29 years old and I believe that exercise can be the elixir of > life. Here are the references to articles that talk about the benefits > of exercise : > > American Academy of Neurology. (1994). Practice parameters: Initial > therapy of PD. IN: Neurology, #43, pg. 1296-1297. > > American College of Sports Medicine. (1993). The recommended quality > and quantity of exercise for developing and maintaining > cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in healthy adults. In: Medicine > and Science in Sports and Exercise, #22, pg. 265-274. > > Astrand, P. O. (1991). Why exercise? In: Medicine and Science in > Sports and Exercise, #24, 153-162. > > Berger, B. G. (1988). The role of physical activity in the life > quality of older adults. In: Academy Papers, #22, 42-58. > > Comella, C. L., Stebbins, G. T., Brown-Toms, N., and Goetz, C. G. > (1994). Physical therapy and Parkinson's disease: A controlled > clinical trial. In: Neurology, #44, pg.376-378. > > Evans, W. J. (1992). Exercise, nutrition and aging. In: Journal of > Nutrition, #122, 796-801. > > Grimby, G. (1990). Muscle changes and trainability in the elderly. In: > Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitstion, Volume 5 #2, pg 54-62. > > Kiawans, H. L., and Topei, J. L. (1974). Parkinsonism as a falling > sickness. In: Journal of the American Medical Association, #230, pg. > 1555-1557. > > Koller, W. C., Glatt, S., Vetere-Overield, B., and Hassanein, R. > (1989). Falls and parkinson's disease. In: Clinical Neuropharmacology, > Volume 12, #2, pg. 98-105. > > These references are available at a library. If the library does not > have them you can get them through Inter-Library-Loan (ILL) free of > charge. These articles are not too technical. It's not like reading > "Time Magazine" but I'm afraid that's the best I can do. > > This is by no means a complete reference list. I have over 250 > references on exercise and aging and a few on exercise and PD. I would > love to hear from anyone, concerning exercise and PD. > > Yours, In Sport > > Mark A. Hirsch ([log in to unmask])-- > > > --