Parkinson’s disease patients may benefit from tandem cycling: study | Top Vip News

Physical aptitude

By Tracy Swartz

This exercise routine is aimed at people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers.

Sufferers of this degenerative brain disorder and those who help them can benefit from pedaling a stationary bike for two. A small new study has found.

“Our study found that a unique cycling program that pairs people with Parkinson’s disease with their caregivers can improve the physical, emotional and mental well-being of both cyclists to improve their quality of life,” said Jennifer Trilk of the University of Carolina from the south. Greenville College of Medicine, said in a statement.

Nine Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers rode tandem bicycles indoors while using a virtual reality platform, which showed them beautiful outdoor scenes, twice a week for eight weeks.

Both groups of volunteers completed tests before and after completing the program.

People with Parkinson’s disease were asked how often they experience difficulties on a daily basis, for example in relationships and communication and in social situations.

Physical tests measured the severity and progression of their disease, including the speed at which they walked.

The results showed that Parkinson’s patients improved their overall quality of life, mobility, motor skills and walking speed, with an increase of 0.27 meters per second.

Participants were also asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with a series of six statements on a scale of one to five, including “I tend to recover quickly after difficult times” and “I usually get through difficult times with few problems.” .

The Parkinson’s patients did not show improvements in resilience, the researchers noted, but the caregivers did. Caregivers also recorded better depression scores after the cycling program.

“It’s equally important that care partners also receive care, which is why we include them as cycling partners,” Trilk said. “The goal of our small study was to determine if tandem cycling was beneficial. The next step will be to confirm the results with subsequent studies that would include more participants.”

The study, which was published last week, will be presented next month at the American Academy of Neurology 76^th Annual meeting.

Parkinson’s disease – affecting nearly 1 million Americans – affects the way people control their bodies. The condition is usually characterized by slow movements, tremors, stiffness, and difficulty walking.

Celebrities such as Ozzy Osbourne, Michael J. Fox and Neil Diamond have shared their journeys with Parkinson’s.

Comedian Richard Lewis, who publicly revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with the disease, died last week at the age of 76.