We know that Parkinson's affects each person differently, but is this Australian guy's high level of athletic performance at his age (60+) and 13 years after PD Dx statistically unusual? Looks like he has tremor, so maybe he has a slower progressing tremor-predominant form of PD? His meds working well? Or, do you think his crazy work-outs have somehow helped managed symptoms and/or slowed the progression of PD? Just curious what we might be able learn from his progression...


Parkinson's Disease - Vigorous Exercise. Neil Sligar June 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?client=...8ko&nomobile=1

search the forum, he's posted here.
lot's of research in progress on exercise, not just for pd. hard to base any decisions on a few individual cases imho.

And all the research men/women......
Still can't put a really affected PWP, together again.

Hate to be a downer, but inclined to concur with Soccertese and ol'cs.

PD is so variable from person to person, plus hard to say he isn't one of 30% misdiagnosed. Impossible to extrapolate.

Plus, my thinking if vigorous exercise is so neuroprotective why aren't professional athletes spared? Not just PD but think of pro US football players coming down with dementia type disorder once retired. I ran daily before my diagnosis until foot dystonia, one of my earliest PD signs, made it impossible.
My outlook is exercise because it is systemically good for you, but you can over due a good thing.

Laura

like i said, the jury is out still on humans. animal studies seem to imply neuroprotection within the animal models.
i think the head injuries overwhelm any possible neuroprotection in football players.

gotta see if there are any population studies correlating physical fitness to pd.

the sooner we can detect pd before symptoms occur the easier it will be to answer these questions. when you implement neuroprotection and how "vigorously"" are likely critical. too little, too late might negate the benefit.

I definitely have noticed more symptoms on days when I haven't gotten exercise...2 days without and I can feel my neck and shoulders pulling forward (which calls for drastic stretching for me...I refuse to go back to that posture again and will do everything within my abilities to relieve the pain and stand up straight...it took too long to get where I am now to let these symptoms take over and win. I have just begun to fight!

I can't let Laura's remarks go unchallenged. Firstly, since diagnosis in 1998 I've been examined by a total of five neurologist (including a clinical professor of neurology). My symptoms are so obvious that none of these specialists has called for extra tests. Note pill rolling tremor, masked face, rigidity, etc, etc, etc. For the record, neurologists number 2 and 5 have diagnosed essential tremor in addition to Parkinson's.
How do I perform physical activity at a high level?
I train (note "train" not "exercise," ... exercise carries a therapeutic colour, something we should add to our daily tasks, along with medication) because I enjoy doing so. It's my relief at the end of a long day, running a financial planning business. Compared with running a business and living alone, (washing/ironing/tidying/dressing/shopping/), high intensity physical activity is a breeze. Possibly, hopefully not, a little arrogance,occasionally appears. "That poor man" some may think, watching me struggle to hold my bar-coded entry card against the sensor at the gym entry gates. Within ten minutes, they're not thinking me a poor man.
The young people with whom I train bring humour and encouragement into my life. I mix with positive people not with negative. Parkinson's disease rarely enters my thinking during a gym session. My aim when setting targets is to achieve at least near the best anyone of my age has achieved.

Rather than sit on your butts, speculating whether someone's been misdiagnosed, whether he/she is an exception due to some milder form of PD,........get "limitations due to Parkinson's" out of your minds and replace with "many capabilities regardless of Parkinson's."

We happen to have Parkinson's disease. Our bodies, are the same as most others apart from a deficiency in a tiny part of the brain. We might as well keep the remainder of our bodies in top condition.

For the most part, members at this site are in the United States. There are many people with Parkinson's in your country whose positive attitude and outstanding physical performance I immensely admire. Last night, between 1am and 3am, I took part in a charity stationary bike ride. The peak of my day was in receiving a message from your fellow countryman, John Ball. His first book, Living Well, Running Hard , is close to essential reading. He has run at least twenty five marathons since diagnosis. John has posted here. Another inspiration who has posted here is Nan Little. In her later sixties Nan
walked to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

There's no such thing as natural talent or good luck that enables superior physical performance. Hard effort, session after session, is mandatory. I have no idea how it can be overdone.
Neil Sligar, Sydney, Australia.

My husband was a marathoner prior to the onset of parkinson's. When not running marathons, He ran at least 6 miles/day 7 days/week and worked out at a gym on equipment for at least 1 hour 4 days/week. He ate healthily. Today he suffers from profound fatigue. He does engage in some "exercise" activity every day--tai chi, modified Pilates, working out with a PD exercise specialist. If he overdoes any of these very mild workouts, he suffers greatly. We suspect his mitochondria are so impaired, he develops cellular power failure, if you will. We have not measured serum lactate or pyruvate levels to confirm.
Just an example where "exercise to the max" or walking up a mountain is not in his immediate future--nor ever. Your exhorting all PD patients to "get off their butts" makes me very angry. My husband works harder than anyone I know to try to maintain a level of mobility. Pushing exercise levels (and good that its working for you) is counterproductive, even detrimental to my husband. okay I feel better now...not really. madelyn

Few years ago -
I was encouraging all Parkies to dance. Received this e-mail:
(from a woman very activist with PD):

“How happy would i be if i could still dance? unspeakably. i can't. can't even tap my foot at a steady rhythm. very sad.”

I replied:
forgive us our trespasses.
I am so sorry; I did not intend that our focus on music and dancing would make anybody feel bad.
I had never thought about it hurting people who cannot.

I found your comments and attitude most uplifting and just what I needed on a grey Sunday to get my ar@e down to the gym.

Take care,
Neil.