SPRING 2022 | VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1
Parkinson Voice measuring the effects of exercise and parkinson’s
Laura Swink, PhD, OTR/L | Health Research Specialist, VA Eastern Colorado Mark Mañago, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS | Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Exercise has proven health benefits for everyone, and people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are no exception. Regular exercise can lead to improvements in PD symptoms such as rigidity and slowness of movement and may even slow disease progression.1 Exercise programs for people with PD can also improve other areas important to physical function, like balance, strength, and turning ability. Regular exercise can also lead to greater participation in daily activities and decreased risk of falling. Beyond the physical benefits, exercise for people with PD can also lead to improvements in cognitive function, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and overall mood. Importantly, people with PD who participate in regular exercise of at least 2.5 hours a week tend to report an overall better quality of life than people who exercise less frequently.2 However, even adding just 30 minutes of exercise per week can help contribute to better overall quality of life, and this has been shown in people with both mild and advanced PD. There are many different types of exercise, including aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility. These exercise types can be combined and practiced in varying ways. Supervised exercise could be helpful for advancing an exercise plan, or when you have specific medical concerns such as balance difficulty or variable blood pressure. Independent exercises may work well if you already know what type of exercise
you enjoy and are self-motivated. Communitybased exercise classes could be best if you thrive in a group format. In general, community-based classes have been shown to improve motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, and quality of life.3 Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on exercise participation for people with PD. Recent studies have shown that at least in the first year of the pandemic, exercise quantity and intensity declined for greater than 50% of people with PD and also about 50% reported worsening of their PD symptoms.4,5
a variety of in-person, virtual, and hybrid class options. PAR has virtual and in-person yoga, dance, circuit training, PWR! Moves, Power Punch, and many more to meet specific exercise needs and interests. Now that pandemic restrictions have been easing, more people have been returning to in-person community-based classes. In addition, more classes are now offering virtual options, hopefully leading to greater access to classes for more people with PD. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
In a study A LOOK INSIDE completed by our team of 3 Parkinson’s Awareness Month researchers at the University of Colorado (CU) 4-6 Honors & Memorials in partnership with the Parkinson’s Association of the Rockies Upcoming Events 7 (PAR), we looked specifically at how COVID-19 affected people’s participation in community based exercise classes. Some general barriers 8 Educational Programs were feeling less motivated and more fatigued. About 45% of participants were going to more 9 Vitality 5k Walk and Run virtual classes, yet many stated that personal and social accountability was difficult. While survey participants with PD requested ways to stay 10-11 Support Group & Exercise Class Schedules accountable, and wanted more virtual class times, instructors asked for participant assistance with This Newsletter is sponsored by: technology use and access. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic PD-specific classes are constantly being modified to offer