Parkinson's disease
Exercise
Brain Sci. 2021 Jul 7;11(7):895. Bearss K, De Souza JFX.
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that has a fast progression of motor dysfunction within the first 5 years of diagnosis, showing an annual motor rate of decline of the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) between 5.2 and 8.9 points.
Purpose: We aimed to determine both motor and non-motor PD symptom progression while participating in dance classes once per week over a period of three years.
Conclusions: Our results indicate positive benefits of weekly training for stopping disease progression of motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Previous longitudinal studies suggest an annual decline in motor function whereas our cohort shows that the annual motor impairment is drastically reduced. These findings strongly suggest the benefits of dance in people with PD as a supplement to a normal treatment regimen.