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Tango may be a step forward in preventing falls in Parkinson's patients

By Cynthia Gregorian
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:05/17/2008 11:16:23 AM MDT

ST. LOUIS - For more than a year now, Wilfried and Ute Adelt of Bridgeton, Mo., have been dancing the Argentine tango in their kitchen several times a week.

They don't perform any dramatic dips, kicks or swings. And, quite frankly, the kitchen island can be an impediment. But as Ute likes to say: ''That's beside the point. We can dance!''

Tripping the light fantastic has played a significant role in the couple's life since meeting at dance class in Aachen, Germany, in 1951. Wilfried had signed his entire fraternity up for instruction after hearing complaints from local ladies about their lack of skill cutting a rug.

Through the years, Ute, 67, and Wilfried, 73, continued dancing when opportunities arose. But that stopped nine years ago in a Tunisian courtyard while they were on vacation. Ute remembers waltzing as a warm breeze blew. ''Then Wilfried said, 'Let's stop. This is making me uncomfortable. I don't like the backwards motion,' '' she said.

It was no surprise. Wilfried, a retired engineer, had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease seven years earlier. Parkinson's is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Cells in the part of the brain that control muscle movement are destroyed, leaving patients with a long list of symptoms that include loss of balance and frequent falls.

Then one day nearly two years ago, Wilfried spotted a flier at an exercise class for Parkinson's patients. Washington University researchers were looking for Parkinson's patients to participate in a study involving tango.

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