 |
 |
To: Ron F. Vetter Re: Comments on strength training and Balance posted on Fri 14 Apr. (PT=Physical Therapy) My dissertation is looking at the effect of strength and balance training on balance and strength and activities of daily living in previously sedentary persons with stage II - III Parkinson's disease. Exercises which leave you feeling slow and tired...fatigue is a factor in Parkinson's disease. Maybe there is a difference between sustained exercise (aerobic) and short-duration type movements (anaerobic) on fatigue and PD? It's a great idea for a study. (But first I need to get my Ph. D. in what I'm currently doing). To date, no study has shown that any type of exercise program or exercise participation affects dopamine use negatively (In PD). In other words, this has not been verified experimentally. There are three studies that have looked at dopamine levels and (aerobic) exercise and the results are inconclusive. I'd be happy to email the complete reference to you so that you can form your own opinion of this. The study with PD, exercise and mortality I was refering to was a japanese study on the effect of three types of physical activity patterns on longevity in PD. The persons who exercised the most were able to remain independent longer than persons who remained sedentary over the 4 year (!) follow-up period. I would be happy to email the reference to you so you can form your own opinion of this research. This "truism" applies to persons with Parkinson's disease and I'm not sure how it applies to any other population since I have not read the literature, but it may...and there is more to it than, as you say "remaining active only in the brain-mind sence (with no significant motor functionality-only heart-lungs and digestion systems going." To: Joe Imperiale and John Kuick- Re: EMS and Physical Fitness My study does not look at EMS. I have no experience with EMS, but with strength and balance training for PD. I have a hunch that, the more active a person is involved with their therapy, the more growth can be achieved. I have written alot about my training program, the type of strength and balance exercises I would do for a person with PD. I would be happy to email you some references on the benefits of PT on PD. In a nutshell: You wrote (and my answer): 1. What are the benefits of exercise? There are many. I'm looking at the benefit of strength and balance training on muscular strength and equilibrium in persons with stage II and III PD, following 10 weeks of training, 3 days per week. 2. What are the complications? There are many potential complications when working with a persons who has a chronic motor condition.We (my research team at Florida State University) are currently working on a manuscript on how to (weight)train ...teach... older adults with PD. There are many complications when working with human subjects in a controlled laboratory setting. 3. Is EMS painful? I'm not doind EMS so I don't know the answer to that one. 4. What are the balance exercises? There are 10 exercises, performed on a fixed support surface and on a compliant surface (foam) with eyes open, eyes closed, head straight and head extended backwards. The purpose of the exercises is to challenge a person to their Limit of Stability (8 degrees- forward and 4 degrees backward). These movements can train the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive mechanisms. This has been verified experimentally (I can email you info on this if you like). 5. How do you monitor success? Balance is monitored with the EquiTest, a Dynamic Posturography device. Strength is monitored with strength tests using a 4 repetition maximum on Nautilus machines. Activities of Daily Living is monotored with a questionaire. 6. How do you feel the program is working? So far I think it's working remarkably well, inspite of the fact that those who have more rigidity are not getting stronger(they peak faster). (But there are other benefits ...i.e. psychological and sociological ones which cannot be easily measured, but they are exist!) I think that we are redefining what it means to age "successfully". Even a person who has a chronic disability can still benefit and better themselves with activity, as long as it is creative and unusual, exotic and challenging. The basic role of the neuron is to be stimulated and that role is not lost because a person has PD. At any stage of development we can manipulate the structure of the outer layer of the brain, a notion which has been substantiated by animal and human brain research. Nerve cells are designed to be stimulated through enrichment. Even after decades of aging has obliterated their numbers, their primary function remains the same. It may well be that efforts to build a complex and resonant brain by the enrichment of the interaction with the environment produces a brain better fortified against the later onset of degenerative conditions. By increasing the architectural complexity of the brain through continuous enrichment, an aging brain may be better equipped to combat the onset and the development and progression of neurological disease. Accepting new challenges is important. An individual can build on adversity, using it as a focal point for enrichment, toward a better, richer brain structure. The brain benefits from unusual and exotic environments. The more newness we can put into the individulas life experiences, the more likely the individual is to benefit from it. 7. What is the exercise program like? It lasts 1 hour 3 days per week. The object is to get people to the point where thay can be independent and function autonomously in the health club environment. Many participants are sarting to change their programs to suit their "individual" needs..and this is one of the things that we want them to do. 8. How hard would it be to extend a branch off shoot of your study up into Connecticut? Hmmmm...I'd be happy to come up to Connecticut to get a program started there. Will you pay for my airfare? Hope this info has enriched you some. For more info check other message I've posted to this list since December (94) on the "benefits of exercise for PD". Regards, Mark Hirsch ([log in to unmask])