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How Boxing Fights Against Parkison’s Disease Written by Holly Stupak Photos from the collection of Dr. Jennifer Brown, PT, DPT
L-R: Tracy Finney, PT, and Dr. Jennifer Brown, PT, DPT
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ou don’t have to have experience as a fighter or boxer to join Rock Steady Boxing. You just have to show up and have fun! That’s the motto of Rock Steady Boxing (RSB), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to “fight back” against Parkinson’s disease (PD). “For Parkinson’s patients who have been suffering for years or even those newly diagnosed, this program can change the course of the disease and improve patients’ quality of life,” said RSB Broomall Founder/ Director Dr. Jennifer Brown, PT, DPT. “Our classes are led by physical, speech and occupational therapists who specialize in PD and PD Plus diagnoses such as Lewy body dementia.” It’s estimated that more than 1 million people in the United States are diagnosed with PD, a degenerative movement disorder that can cause deterioration of motor skills, balance, speech and sensory function. Founded in 2006, RSB was the first program in the country dedicated to the fight against Parkinson’s. They A pre-COVID live RSB class now have 700+ affiliates in Broomall, doing planks worldwide. The boxing routines focus on posture, balance, walking, voice and socialization, and are tailored to meet an individual’s needs. Dr. Jennifer (“Jen”) Brown, PT, DPT is the Founder/ Director of the Broomall and the Main Line RSB affiliates. She earned her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Springfield College in 1996, and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Temple University in 2008. After working for Main Line Health for 15 years, Jen founded Dynamic Home Therapy & Neurofit (DHT; www.LiveDynamicNow.com) in 2011. DHT provides neuro-based treatments to patients in their own homes as well as to folks in assisted living facilities. DHT’s staff of OTs, PTs and SLPs work with patients with PD as well as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and other movement disorders. Jen’s area of expertise is in adolescent and geriatric physical therapy with the neurologically impaired population. In 2009, 6
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OT Sara Brown delPozo performing occupational therapy with her Broomall client Anna
she received her Geriatric Clinical Specialist certification, and in 2011, she was certified in LSVT BIG for PD, a treatment approach that addresses the movement aspects of the disease and leads to significant improvements in function, balance, and gait. Her inspiration to go into this field came from personal experience. “I helped care for my grandfather when he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease in his 80s,” said Jen. “I wanted to help people be able to do more than just sit in a chair.” For years, Jen was interested in starting her own RSB affiliate, knowing the impact it could have on her patients as well as other people with PD or other neurological conditions. “I wanted a program for my DHT patients, to keep them motivated after they were discharged from their therapy,” Jen said. “It also can be a built-in support group for everyone, to help with depression and anxiety, which are very common symptoms for those with Parkinson’s disease.” After becoming certified in RSB in 2017, Jen, along with her Assistant Manager Tracy Finney, PT MSPT, opened an RSB affiliate in Wayne, which since moved to Devon. In 2018, she opened the Broomall affiliate (Broomall.RSBAffiliate.com) in Young Forever Fitness. In-person RSB classes typically had about 10 members plus a coach and volunteers. In addition to Jen’s team that teaches classes on a rotating basis, she also has a Wellness Leader, Barrie Greenberg, DPT, who performs the intakes for new members. Caregivers or other care partners can attend and are referred to as their “corner person.” “We’ve had members as young as 40 years old up to some in their 90s,” said Jen. “We can tailor the workout to all different abilities
