Boxing may help relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s, study finds. It was found that not only exercise-related symptoms such as tremors and stiffness, but also psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety were relieved.
Researchers at Rush Medical College in the United States looked at 14 participants in the Des Plains, Illinois area who completed a three-month boxing program modified for patients with stage II Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is divided into 5 stages, of which stage 2 is a stage in which motor symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and gait disturbance affect both sides of the body.
The researchers evaluated the patients’ Parkinson’s symptoms before and after the program. In addition to motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, pain, apathy, and memory loss were also evaluated.
Because Parkinson’s disease is characterized by motor dysfunction, most people only think of motor symptoms, but non-motor symptoms can also be as bad or worse as motor symptoms and can be more difficult to treat, the researchers explain.
As a result of the analysis, there was a significant decrease in the motor symptom score, and some non-motor symptoms were also decreased.
Professor Roshni Patel, co-author of the study, said, “Boxing can be a good exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease because it allows for many types of exercise, including cardiovascular and aerobic exercise, balance, footwork, hand-eye coordination, and strength training. There seems to be,” he explained.
“There is growing evidence of the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s,” Patel said.
The researchers wanted to continue follow-up observations at 6-month and 1-year intervals, but they were stopped due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, acknowledging that information on the continuity of the program’s effectiveness was limited because of this.
On the other hand, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common degenerative brain disease after dementia, in which the dopaminergic nerves in the substantia nigra in the center of the brainstem are destroyed, causing movement disorders. The main symptoms include motor disorders such as bradykinesia (slow movement), tremors at rest, and muscle stiffness, and non-motor symptoms such as autonomic nervous system symptoms, gastrointestinal disorders, cognitive dysfunction, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
The results of this pilot study were presented at the 2022 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in 2022.
Reporter Jeong Hee-eun eun@kormedi.com
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