Should Patients with Parkinson's exercise?
Yes, exercise can improve quality of life.
2 min
Exercise cannot cure Parkinson’s disease, but there is evidence that it may protect against Parkinson’s disease developing, 1 and that it can help with some of the movement problems associated with the disease, such as balance and muscle strength. 2 As well as improving an individual’s physical well-being, exercise may also improve an individual’s mental state, helping to alleviate stress and feelings of depression1 . There is evidence that walking or running is beneficial 3 and very recently a study found that Tai Chi can help by improving strength and balance, preventing falls and improving mobility 4
1. National Institute of Environmental Health Science. Parkinson’s disease and environmental factors. Available at: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/parkinson/index.cfm [Accessed October 2023]
2. Poewe W et al. Parkinson disease. Nature Reviews Disease Primers. 2017;3:17013
3. Oliveira de Carvalho A et al. Clin Pract Epidemiol Mental Health 2018;14:89-98. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5897963/pdf/CPEMH-14-89.pdf [Accessed October 2023]
4. Liu H-H et al. Parkinson’s Disease 2019;Article ID 9626934. Available at: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/pd/2019/9626934/ [Accessed October 2023]
UK/BIAL/2023/032l
date of approval: October 2023