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George, Thankyou for your comments on the benefits of strength training for those woth PD. I read these with great interest. Our studies have shown that even a person with stage III PD can benefit from strength training if they have postural instability and experience falls. So it's not to late for a person who is at an "advanced" stage of the condition to improve and benefit from strength training. I don't agree with you that "quick bursts of strengthening...works for musculoskeletal problems but not for Parkinson's disease." My pilot work showed that after only 10 weeks of strength and balance training persons improved balance and strength. I agree, a new way of thinking about physiotherapy as it applies to PD is in order and I believe that strength training can be a major part of this, especially in the circumstances I have desribed. To date, there are no studies which validate that persons with Pd can benefit from strength and/or balance training. But, I think you'll soon find that to change. It will take some time before therapists, neurologists and others start to see fitness as a necessity for persons with PD. If one where to suggest strength training for persons who have PD (and are also rigid) to a physical therapist, one would surely be hit over the head with a hammer. And most of us would not try again after that. Mark A. Hirsch, (soon to be Ph.D., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida) --