[ZucchiniFlower]

In physical therapy, it was the pilates machine I loved the most. It's fun and is supposed to help with PD symptoms. QVC had a great offer that I could not resist. I made room in my living room for it, and it also folds up. It comes with four DVD's. I can't wait to get started! It also comes with a rebounder and a dvd with rebounder exercises. The instructor is Marjolein Brugman.

http://www.lighterliving.com/pilates/article.asp?id=83

Anyone else doing Pilates?


Parkinson's and Pilates
Pilates Improve Flexibility and Balance in Parkinson's Disease
By Doreen Bradley Satter

Parkinson's is a degenerative disease which inhibits the ability to control movement.
Pilates help with flexibility and balance.
Exercising also helps patients with depression
Parkinson's and Pilates

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease which inhibits the ability to control movement. The most common symptoms include slowness of movement, tremors, rigidity and poor balance. The basic principal of Pilates is increasing core strength and improving flexibility and balance. These things are extremely helpful in countering the effects of Parkinson’s disease in some individuals.

Recent studies have reported that patients with Parkinson’s Disease are showing a decrease in symptoms while exercising with Pilates. Pilates exercise muscles that otherwise don’t get exercised and improvement in participants’ rigidity and balance have improved greatly.

Pilates is an exercise method invented in the early 20th century and emphasizes a connection between mind, body and spirit in exercises focusing on breathing, side bending, and extension, rotation and flexing of the spine.

The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, reported this research and began a pilot program. The success of the pilot, in turn, spawned a permanent Pilates course set to begin in Portland at OHSU's new Center for Health & Healing.

Julie Carter, R.N., associate professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine and associate director of the Parkinson Center of Oregon, says she is amazed at the improvement she's seen in patients who use the method (Pilates).

Carter stated, "The reason I got interested in Pilates is because I believe in it as another modality for treating symptoms of the disease. Two important aspects of Parkinson's disease are rigidity and balance problems, and these are addressed in Pilates. And people are just visibly more flexible.”

Studies already are showing the benefits of exercise in reducing some of Parkinson’s symptoms. Charles Meshaul, Ph.D.associate professor of behavioral neuroscience in the OHSU School of Medicine and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center's Neurocytology Lab, showed that rats with a 90 percent loss of dopamine in the brain (a model for full-blown Parkinson's disease) regain some motor function following a four-week treadmill exercise regimen. Meshul's laboratory also found that exercise may be neuroprotective because it decreases levels of the brain chemical glutamate, which is found in higher levels when the brain is damaged.

Also, the Parkinson Center of Oregon is planning other research to study several modes of exercise in clinical trials to determine which form of exercise is most effective in helping mobility in Parkinson’s disease.

Some patients with Parkinson’s have rigidity in their spines and have shallow breathing. Pilates encourages breathing into the back and sides of the ribcage with a full exhalation. The exercises help maintain flexibility in the spine. Patients leave their exercise program feeling better than when they came in.

In Pilates exercises, the movements are controlled. Sometimes the movement in the body is only a few inches. The exercises aren’t a strain which makes the program approachable for patients who don’t exercise at all. Also, being with other Parkinson’s patients in a positive environment is supportive. Many people with Parkinson’s struggle with depression and some say the exercise has helped with that too.

Exercising has not only helped with flexibility, agility and balance, it is giving Parkinson’s sufferers confidence. Many who exercise religiously can continue with other activities they love like hiking, running and golf. As one patient stated, “Just because you are diagnosed with a disease doesn’t mean the end of the world.”

Pilates was first developed for rehabilitation. Its focus on movement and breathing brings new and effective treatment methods. Being extremely versatile, the exercises can be modified to fit the needs of many patients. In addition to Pilates being used to help Parkinson’s patients, physical therapists are also using Pilates successfully to treat a variety of other conditions including:

• Chronic neck and back pain
• Sciatica
• Shoulder impingement/tendonitis
• Hip bursitis
• Ankle injuries
• Total knee/hip replacements
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Scoliosis
2008 © Associated Content

http://allpilates.us/

[olsen]

my husband does Pilates at least 2X's/week. He also loves it and feels it helps with his balance.

[imark3000]

... not having the machine, I follow the steps of 20 mins video called "Pillates for dummies" and I don't have to be a dummy to benifit from it

[ZucchiniFlower]

Neurology Now:Volume 1(1)Spring 2005p 47-48
Is exercise beneficial for Parkinson's disease patients? {silly question!}


Jankovic, Joseph M.D

Professor of neurology and director, Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Joseph Jankovic

Over three decades, Dr. Joseph Jankovic has treated thousands of Parkinson's disease patients.

There is growing evidence that exercise is beneficial for Parkinson's patients. And after more than three decades in practice and following thousands of patients with Parkinson's disease, there is no doubt in my mind that patients who exercise do better than those who don't. They seem to have slower progression of disease and a better prognosis.

Although I think there is a general consensus among neurologists that exercise is beneficial, we need some long-term clinical trials to prove it. In the meantime, there are some animal studies that suggest that exercise may actually protect nerve cells that are damaged by the disease.

So far, no one has figured out how this works. It's possible that exercise may make brain cells less vulnerable to stresses that lead to cell death. This is one of the mechanisms that causes damage in Parkinson's disease implicated in nerve cell death. It's also possible that exercise may increase the production of trophic factors-proteins produced by the brain that are designed to nurture nerve cells-and that this may cause some restoration of cells that might otherwise die.

Beyond this, I have seen patients improve without any change in medications just because they started exercising. There are a number of reasons to think exercise could help.

First, exercises that focus on range of motion- like yoga, Pilates, and tai chi-help patients overcome rigidity and become more limber. And hopefully this will prevent long-term disability that results from deformities caused by rigidity, such as contractures. These are deformities of the hands and other parts of the body, often wrongly diagnosed as arthritis. The joints that attach the fingers to the hand can become bent and even the wrists can become bent.

Second, aerobic exercise can help with endurance. One of the most common complaints in patients with Parkinson's is fatigue. In one of our studies we showed that whereas normal individuals can exercise 15 to 20 minutes before they reach their greatest degree of exertion, Parkinson's patients often become exhausted and short of breath within five or 10 minutes. Patients who exercise regularly don't get tired as quickly. And with this added energy and stamina, they are able to accomplish more in their daily lives.

One thing that is important for people to understand is that an exercise program needs to be individualized to each patient. In the early stages of the disease, patients are capable of doing more than those in the later stages. In the early stages, I might suggest walking two to three miles a day or swimming a few laps, for example. In the later stages, I place more emphasis on range-of-motion exercises that prevent deformities.

To increase endurance, I recommend conditioning exercises like water aerobics and walking. Water aerobics is especially good because it doesn't stress the joints while the patient builds up cardiovascular conditioning.

Unfortunately, even though exercise can be beneficial, it can be very difficult for patients to get motivated when they feel tired all the time. And this can lead to a vicious cycle: Patients feel fatigued and they don't want to exercise and then they become more fatigued and are even less likely to exercise. That's why it's important to get started on an exercise program in the early stages, so you will have the motivation to keep going. If you can afford it-or have insurance to cover it- having a personal trainer can also help in that regard.

Another strategy is to join a support group. In Houston, for example, Parkinson's support groups help people organize into small exercise groups. These smaller groups, I think, increase motivation. And, the groups are more likely to be able to afford to hire a professional physical or occupational therapist to lead them through their exercises.

Patients also need to be aware of safety concerns. For example, I would not recommend exercise on a treadmill for Parkinson's patients who have a problem with balance. For these patients, I usually recommend stationary bicycles and weightlifting.

Joseph Jankovic, M.D.

Professor of neurology and director, Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine
Copyright © 2005, AAN Enterprises, Inc.