Written by: Anthony Kladouris – Accredited Exercise Physiologist
Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease can raise many questions about how to manage the condition and maintain your quality of life. While there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease, regular exercise can play an important role in supporting your health, movement and independence.
Exercise can help maintain or improve strength, balance, mobility, cardiovascular fitness and overall physical function. It may also help you continue participating in everyday activities and doing the things that are important to you.
Because Parkinson’s affects everyone differently, exercise should be adapted to your individual symptoms, abilities and goals. Whether you have recently been diagnosed or have been living with Parkinson’s for many years, exercise can be introduced and adjusted to suit your needs.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurological condition associated with changes in the brain, including the loss of dopamine-producing cells.
The condition affects everyone differently, but common movement-related symptoms can include tremor, muscle stiffness, slower movement, changes in walking and step length, difficulties with balance, reduced coordination, and difficulty initiating or changing movements.
Parkinson’s can also involve non-motor symptoms, including fatigue, sleep disturbances, changes in mood and cognitive difficulties. The type and severity of symptoms can vary considerably from one person to another, which is why an individualised approach to exercise is important.
What Types of Exercise Are Beneficial for Parkinson’s Disease?
There is no single type of exercise that is best for everyone with Parkinson’s disease. A well-rounded program will usually include a combination of aerobic exercise, resistance training, balance and gait exercises, and mobility or flexibility work.
Current recommendations encourage people with Parkinson’s to work towards at least 150 minutes of exercise each week, incorporating different types of exercise according to their abilities, symptoms and fitness level.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise can help improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Activities may include walking, cycling, swimming or other forms of continuous movement that safely raise your heart rate.
Improving cardiovascular fitness can make everyday activities feel easier and help you maintain the capacity to participate in activities you enjoy. The appropriate intensity will vary between individuals and can be progressed over time.
Resistance Training
Resistance training can help maintain or improve muscular strength and physical function, both of which are important for staying independent.
Strength is needed for everyday activities such as getting out of a chair, climbing stairs, carrying groceries and moving safely around the home and community. Resistance training can also support mobility, help reduce falls risk and contribute to maintaining bone health.
For many people, two to three resistance training sessions per week may be appropriate, with exercises selected and progressed according to their individual abilities and goals.
Balance, Gait and Movement Training
Balance exercises can improve your ability to control your body and respond to changes in your environment. Training may include weight shifting, stepping in different directions, turning, changes of direction and single-leg balance where appropriate.
Parkinson’s can also affect walking, sometimes resulting in shorter steps, shuffling, reduced arm swing or difficulty initiating movement. Gait-specific training can help address these changes and may incorporate larger-amplitude movements, multidirectional stepping, turning and agility exercises.
Some people may also benefit from exercises that combine movement with another task, such as walking while responding to instructions or changing direction. These activities can help challenge coordination and movement control in ways that are relevant to daily life.
Exercises should be matched to your ability and progressed gradually in a safe and controlled environment.
Mobility and Flexibility Exercises
Regular movement can help maintain joint mobility and manage feelings of stiffness that are commonly associated with Parkinson’s disease.
Mobility and flexibility exercises may be incorporated into structured exercise sessions or throughout the day. They can help maintain range of motion, reduce the impact of muscle rigidity and support a more upright posture.
How Hard Should You Exercise?
For many people with Parkinson’s disease, exercise should provide an appropriate challenge while still remaining safe.
Moderate to vigorous intensity exercise can provide important benefits for cardiovascular fitness, strength and physical function. Research is also continuing to investigate whether higher-intensity exercise may have additional benefits for motor function and potentially influence the progression of Parkinson’s disease, although more research is needed in this area.
The right exercise intensity will depend on your previous exercise experience, current fitness, symptoms, stage of Parkinson’s disease and any other health conditions.
Exercise intensity can be monitored in a number of ways, including heart rate and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). An Accredited Exercise Physiologist can help determine an appropriate starting point and safely progress your program as your fitness and confidence improve.
Exercise Safety and Parkinson’s Disease
Because Parkinson’s affects movement and balance differently from person to person, exercise may need to be modified according to your symptoms and circumstances.
Factors such as balance difficulties, falls, freezing of gait, fatigue, medication response and other health conditions can all influence the type and intensity of exercise that is suitable for you.
If you experience significant balance problems, frequent falls or major changes in your movement, professional assessment can help ensure your exercise program is safe and appropriate.
How to Get Started
If you haven’t exercised regularly before, starting can sometimes feel overwhelming. The key is to begin at a manageable level and build gradually.
Start Small
Begin with an amount of activity that feels achievable. Over time, you can gradually increase the duration, repetitions, frequency or intensity depending on how your body responds.
Choose Activities You Enjoy
Exercise is easier to maintain when you enjoy what you are doing. This could include walking, cycling, gym-based exercise, home-based exercise or group classes depending on your abilities and preferences.
Make Exercise Part of Your Routine
Finding regular times during the week to exercise can make physical activity easier to maintain over the long term. Consistency is more important than trying to do too much at once.
Consider Working with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist
An Accredited Exercise Physiologist can assess your physical capacity, discuss your goals and develop an individualised exercise program based on your symptoms, abilities, lifestyle and health.
Your program can then be adjusted over time as your needs, fitness and confidence change.
Key Takeaways
Parkinson’s disease may change the way you move, but regular exercise can help maintain physical capacity, improve movement and support your independence.
A combination of aerobic exercise, resistance training, balance and gait work, and mobility or flexibility exercises can support strength, cardiovascular fitness, movement and everyday function.
You do not need to wait until symptoms become more significant before becoming active. Exercise can be introduced at any stage of Parkinson’s disease and adapted as your needs change.
If you are living with Parkinson’s disease and would like support getting started, speak with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist about developing an exercise program that is appropriate for you.