Over the past 25 years, the number of people living with Parkinson’s disease has doubled (1). This means that millions across the globe face the challenge of managing Parkinson’s-related impacts on various aspects of their health and well-being (1-4). Movement, balance, walking speed, falls, and quality of life are a few of the affected areas. But exercise is one strategy that's here to help (2-4)!
Click on the links below to learn more about what benefits exercise can offer people living with Parkinson’s.
Research shows that, compared to no exercise, a range of structured and supervised exercise types may help enhance movement in adults with Parkinson’s. More specifically, dance, aqua-based training, gait/balance/functional training, combined exercise training, endurance training, and mind‐body exercises may improve movement by moderate to small amounts. The good news doesn’t stop there! Moderate to small improvements in quality of life can also be seen with aqua‐based training, gait/balance/functional training, and combined exercise training. Our confidence in these findings ranges from high to low (2).
2. Improved walking speed and balance-related activities
Research shows that, compared to usual care, prescribed home-based exercise programs can improve walking speed and the ability to perform balance-related activities by a small amount in adults with mild to severe Parkinson’s but no cognitive impairment. These are short term benefits occurring right after the completion of an exercise program. Similar improvements in quality of life can also be seen, but they’re not immediate and may occur weeks to months after completing an exercise program. If you’re wondering how home-based exercise programs stack up against centre-based exercise programs — like those done in medical or community centres — you’ll be happy to know that they may be equally effective for these outcomes (3).
Research shows that, compared to usual care or a non-active strategy, exercise can reduce falls by about 26% in people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s. What’s more, exercise can also reduce the number of falls experienced by about 10% in individuals within this population who fall one or more times. Small boosts in health-related quality of life may also occur right after engaging in an exercise program. More research is needed to further support these findings (4).
Whether at home or in a centre, exercise can help people living with Parkinson’s tackle some common concerns that affect their daily lives. Those interested in integrating exercise into their treatment plan should consult their healthcare team. Discussions should include whether exercise is an appropriate strategy for them based on their individual condition, what specific exercises may best meet their needs, and how to safely engage in exercise (e.g., level of supervision needed, most appropriate setting, adapting exercises to consider mobility limitations, etc.).
