EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, February 16, 2012
Study: Weight Training Improves Parkinson鈥檚 Symptoms
NEW ORLEANS -
New research suggests weight training for two years significantly improves the motor symptoms of Parkinson鈥檚 disease compared to other forms of exercise such as stretching and balance exercises. The clinical trial, which compared two forms of exercise for Parkinson鈥檚 disease, was released today and will be presented at the s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012. 鈥淲hile we have known that many different types of exercise can benefit Parkinson鈥檚 patients over short time periods, we did not know whether exercise improves the motor symptoms of Parkinson鈥檚 over the long term,鈥 said study author Daniel Corcos, PhD, with the University of Illinois at Chicago. For the study, 48 people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease were randomized to progressive resistance exercise, known as weight training, or they were assigned to the exercise known as fitness counts, which includes flexibility, balance and strengthening exercises. The groups exercised for one hour, twice a week for two years. The severity of motor symptoms, including tremors, was measured using the Unified Parkinson鈥檚 Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) after six, 12, 18 and 24 months of exercise. Scores were taken when the participants were not taking their medication. While both forms of exercise reduced motor symptoms at six months of exercise, participants who did weight training saw a 7.3 point improvement in their UPRDS score after two years while the fitness counts group returned to the same scores they had at the start of the study. 鈥淥ur results suggest that long-term weight training could be considered by patients and doctors as an important component in managing Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥 said Corcos. Learn more about Parkinson鈥檚 disease at . The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
