Parkinson's disease is a disorder in your motor control system triggered by loss of cells in your brain that produce a chemical called dopamine. Without adequate levels of dopamine, your brain does not transmit normal movement signals to your nerves and muscles. While Parkinson's disease is incurable, you may be able to improve your condition by following an appropriate exercise routine.
Exercise and Dopamine
Animal studies conducted by the University of Southern California indicate that exercise helps your brain use dopamine more efficiently, according to the National Parkinson Foundation. This increased efficiency appears to stem from modifications in two areas in the brain, called the basal ganglia and substantia nigra, with responsibility for dopamine signal reception. Exercise may also help reduce the risks for damage to dopamine-producing cells. However, exercise does not appear to increase the actual amount of dopamine or number of cells that produce dopamine.
Benefits
Better Health Channel lists other potential benefits of a Parkinson's disease exercise program that include improved control over walking and other gross motor movements, improvements in your posture and joint flexibility, increased fitness of your cardiovascular system and improved body balance and coordination. Additional potential improvements include reduction of your stress levels, prevention of deformity in your joints and improved confidence while performing everyday tasks or activities. You can create an appropriate exercise program with the help of your doctor and physical therapist.
Exercise Routines
While any number of exercises can benefit an individual with Parkinson's, a formal exercise routine should incorporate exercises that improve your balance, coordination, endurance, flexibility and strength, the National Parkinson Foundation notes. Components of such a routine may include aerobic exercises, weightlifting or other resistance exercises, treadmill-based exercises that force you to use your body weight, yoga, sports-based training or specific movement programs designed by your doctor or physical therapist. Neglecting any aspect of a well-rounded Parkinson's routine can significantly decrease the overall effectiveness of your efforts.
Additional Exercise Recommendations
When beginning your Parkinson's routine, Better Health Channel recommends starting with exercises that are relatively easy for you to perform. As your health improves, add more difficult exercises to your routine. Try to get a minimum of 15 minutes of exercise per day, in addition to time for stretching and other warm-up or cool-down activities. Do your best to perform the movements in your routine well; however, rest when you need to and avoid overexerting yourself at any point. If you have problems with your energy levels, try to schedule your exercises for the earlier part of your day. Do what you can to maintain a sense of fun in your exercise routine.
Considerations
In many cases, individuals who receive a Parkinson's diagnosis have already lost 40 to 60 percent of their dopamine-producing cells, the National Parkinson Foundation reports. For this reason, Parkinson's prevention is an important part of any exercise program and all people will benefit from regular physical activity. If you have significant Parkinson's symptoms, you can increase your safety during performance of your routine by working with a partner or in some form of public exercise format.
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