Too often, stigma over symptoms keeps Parkinson's patients from engaging in exercise New research shows that even a 'moderate' exercise regimen can help lower Parkinson's symptoms Motor symptoms got better with regular exercise THURSDAY, Sept 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise, whether moderate- or high-intensity, can help ease Parkinson's symptoms, including fatigue, new research shows. As study lead author explained, Parkinson's patients are too often overwhelmed by shame or depression, so they stop going to the gym or exercising. That's too bad, Millar said, because "if you stop physical activity, your body adapts and you lose physical function.
" Just how beneficial can exercise be for patients? To find out, Millar's team at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada, had three groups of 10 people in various stages of Parkinson's disease. Each group exercised three times per week at the gym, for a period of 10 weeks. The male and female participants ranged in age from 45 to 79, and they engaged in one of two modes of exercise training, moderate intensity or high intensity.
Millar's team tracked various physiological metrics -- the person's "maximal oxygen consumption," their level of fatigue or vulnerability to fatigue, gait, balance and motor symptoms. “Prior work found that high-intensity interval training may improve how far someone with Parkinson’s can walk, but this could be due to becoming more stable or confident in their gait,” said Millar, who is an ass.