Daily Work Out Improves Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease Patients

Highlights

Exercise interventions improve health-related quality of life (HRQL) and mobility in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
The HRQL benefit associated with 30-minute //increases in exercise per week was greatest in people with advanced PD.

People who exercised regularly had significantly slower decline in health-related quality of life (HRQL) and mobility over a two-year period.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive condition that often results in mobility impairments and can lead to decreased HRQL and death. There is evidence that physical activity can delay decline in PD patients.

Exercise - Benefits - Planning - Workout-Schedule - Tips to Lose Weight
It is important for us to understand the power of daily exercise. Only then can we motivate ourselves to inculcate the habit of exercise on a daily basis.

‘People with Parkinson's disease who maintained exercise 150 minutes per week had a smaller decline in quality of life and mobility over two years compared to people who did not exercise or exercised less.’

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Health-related quality of life is a multi-dimensional concept that includes domains related to physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning. It goes beyond direct measures of population health, life expectancy, and causes of death, and focuses on the impact health status has on quality of life.

Common Difficulties in Parkinson’s Disease

Stooped posture
Tremor or shaking
Muscle stiffness
Difficulty in chewing, swallowing
Difficulty in walking
Constipation
Trouble sleeping
Depression

Can Exercise Improve Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Patients?

Exercise and Fitness - Benefits - Classification - Options - Kick Off
Exercise is about revamping your lifestyle, not just weight loss. Exercise to get healthy – that way, you’ll last longer at it and get better results.

In a study in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, researchers used data from 3400 participants. They provided data over two years, with information collected during at least three clinic visits.

The Parkinson Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) was used to measure patient-reported, PD-specific HRQL. Functional mobility was measured by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, in which performance is tested by timing participants as they rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn, and return to a sitting position.

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Poor health and recurrent illnesses can severely compromise quality of life for seniors. But with appropriate exercise, seniors can age gracefully and maintain overall good health.

Regular Exercise for 150minutes/week

Dr. Miriam R. Rafferty, Northwestern University and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, said, "We found that people with Parkinson's disease who maintained exercise 150 minutes per week had a smaller decline in quality of life and mobility over two years compared to people who did not exercise or exercised less. The smaller decline was significant for people who started the study as regular exercisers, as well as for people who started to exercise 150 minutes per week after their first study-related visit."

Exercises You Can Do at Your Work Desk
Easy work exercises involve sitting, standing, stretching, yoga, and breathing techniques for the muscles of the hands, shoulders, wrists, neck, back, legs, and ankles.

An unanticipated finding from the study was that the HRQL benefit associated with 30-minute increases in exercise per week was greatest in people with advanced PD. These data have significant implications for making exercise and physical activity more accessible to people with more severe disability.

People with more advanced PD may have poor access to regular exercise, as their mobility impairments would limit their independent participation in existing community and group exercise programs.

"The most important part of the study," according to Dr. Rafferty, "is that it suggests that people who are not currently achieving recommended levels of exercise could start to exercise today to lessen the declines in quality of life and mobility that can occur with this progressive disease."

Although this study did not determine which type of exercise is best, it suggests that any type of exercise done with a "dose" of at least 150 minutes per week is better than not exercising. "People with PD should feel empowered to find the type of exercise they enjoy, even those with more advanced symptoms," remarked Dr. Rafferty.

Reference

Rafferty, Miriam R et al., Regular Exercise, Quality of Life, and Mobility in Parkinson’s Disease: A Longitudinal Analysis of National Parkinson Foundation Quality Improvement Initiative Data, Journal of Parkinson's Disease (2017) http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JPD-160912.

Source-Medindia