The Benefits of Exercise for Parkinson’s Patients

Most people have the attitude that when tragedy or illness strikes then all kinds of treatments begin but smarter ones know that certain preventative routines should exist all the time so that when the disease or disabling event occurs recovery can come quicker. Such is the reasoning behind intensive exercising as it relates to Parkinson’s disease, for example. Exercise can play an important part in treatment for someone that suffers from this debilitating disease. It can help slow the progression according to some experts as well as patients who exercised for some time as a regular life routine.
Exercise, together with medication, remains one of the primary treatments for the management of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system, according to experts.
According to Matt Brodsky, assistant professor of neurology at Portland’s Oregon Health & Science University. “There is evidence in clinical studies that regular aerobic activity triggers activity in the brain that seems to be protective”.
So it is important to continue an exercise routine even after such a diagnosis. Exercise can help develop strength, flexibility, balance, gait, communication and fine-motor skills.
People with good cardiovascular health who have the disease score better on cognitive and muscle tests and tend to live longer, according to researchers at Harvard University.
When Parkinson’s disables limbs in the upper or lower extremities much improvement has been accomplished using the TUTOR system. The HAND TUTOR and the LEGTUTOR are designed to afford the Parkinson’s patient intensive exercise so as to assist the patient in recovering hand or leg mobility.
The TUTOR system consists of ergonomic wearable devices (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) together with powerful dedicated rehabilitation software. The system is indicated for patients in rehabilitation centers, private clinics and the home where it can be supported by telerehabilitation. It is designed for those who have head, trunk, upper and lower extremity movement dysfunction.The system consists of motivating and challenging games that allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. Controlled exercise practice will help to prevent the development of compensatory movement patterns. The dedicated software allows the therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition the therapist can objectively and quantitatively evaluate and report on the treatment progress. The rehabilitation system optimizes the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life. The TUTOR system is FDA and CE certified. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for further information.