Regular physical activity can offer great benefits to our body, even when we already have diseases that affect motor skills, such as Parkinson’s disease. A recent study indicates that regular exercise practice slows the progression of Parkinson’s if it is performed at the beginning of the disease and sustained over time.
Slower-progressing Parkinson’s in more active people
Although at all stages of life and with any condition it is advisable to carry out physical activity, the study recently published in the journal Neurology found that people who exercised alone when diagnosed with Parkinson’s They did not have great differences with those who led a sedentary life.
In contrast, after analyzing data from 237 participants with an average age of 63 years and evaluating them for about five years, it was observed that regular and sustained physical activity contributed to a slower deterioration of postural stability, gait and processing speed.
The start of an exercise program together with the diagnosis of Parkinson’s and its maintenance over time, can considerably improve the course of Parkinson’s disease therefore, the results are encouraging.
Specifically, it is known that moderate to vigorous exercise practiced for four hours per week, help to slow down the decline in postural and gait stability. Whereas, work-related activity levels were primarily associated with slower deterioration in processing speed.
The results were consistent even after taking into account confounding factors, although the study only indicates an association and was carried out using self-reported questionnaires about the progression of the disease.
Despite the limitations of the research, we continue to advise the practice of regular physical activity to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease and improve the quality of life in different conditions or situations.
In Vitónica | Exercise and dance to improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
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