Exercise program helps Parkinson's patients
NEW YORK, Oct 09, 1998 (Reuters) -- A special exercise program can
improve mobility in patients with early and mid-stage Parkinson's
disease, US researchers report in the October issue of the Journal of
the American Geriatrics Society.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes
tremors, loss of flexibility, stooped posture, imbalance, and movement
problems. Early treatment for Parkinson's disease includes medication,
but patients are not usually given physical therapy, although some
research suggests this could be beneficial.
Investigating the value of regular flexibility exercises, Dr. Margaret
Schenkman, of Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, North Carolina,
and colleagues, recruited 23 patients in the early and middle stages of
the disease for a 10-week exercise program designed to improve
coordination and flexibility. Another 23 Parkinson's patients who
did not participate in the exercise program served as ``control''
subjects.
Patients enrolled in the exercise program met with a physical therapist
three times a week. Their exercises were slow and gentle, and became
progressively more complex. Patients learned to do the exercises on
their own so that they could continue after the program ended.
Compared with the ``controls,'' those who completed the exercise program
showed significant improvements in tests that measure mobility and
coordination, the researchers report.
After completing the program, patients were better able to move from a
lying to a standing position, make a 360 degree turn while standing,
reach forward, and turn to look over their shoulders, Schenkman and
colleagues found. In a second phase of the study, the 23 ``controls''
completed the program and showed similar improvements.
``These improvements may be instrumental in preserving independence,''
Schenkman's team points out. For example, the researchers note that a
number of participants reported that ''for the first time in years, they
were able to look over their shoulder to change lanes while driving a
car.''
In addition to moving with greater ease, many of the patients said they
had less pain after completing the program. ''The large number of
patients that reported relief of pain with intervention further supports
the value of physical intervention even early in the disease and should
be specifically investigated,'' Schenkman and colleagues write.
In the early stages of the disease, patients have more limited
impairments, and are better able to exercise. If introduced early,
exercise programs might delay further impairment, or even reverse it,
the investigators suggest.
``Studies are warranted to determine which combinations of exercise...
are most effective, in combination with pharmacological intervention, in
restoring or preserving functional ability across a spectrum of required
activities for people in the early and mid-stages of Parkinson's
disease,'' the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1998;46:1207-1216.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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