This is one of my favorite topics, and it was brought up by one of my favorite people. He is a fighter in our Parkinson’s boxing class and a personal training client at the Rebel Fit Club. He was diagnosed in 2012 with Parkinson’s and is a retired Physical Therapist. Because of his prior career experience, he is especially great at giving me feedback on what he’s feeling and his frustrations.
This picture was taken before a personal training session with me a few days ago. Even after our boxing class filled with specific exercises to offset the symptoms of PD, he still couldn’t stand up straight and complained of heavy legs. Anyone who has taken a class from me knows I’m a stickler on form, and constantly drive home that “bad form creates new issues and exacerbates current ones”.
If the muscles are tight and bound up, the fascia is also. His anterior flexion muscles and other tissues were tight, making it very difficult for him to stand up straight. The posterior extension muscles were weak and in a state that makes it hard to activate them. My client said, “I’m trying to straighten up, but I can’t.” Because of this, his back hurts and he is at risk of falling forward. The before picture might look like he’s exaggerating and rounding forward on purpose, but this is how he started and could not straighten up. You may think, he’s stuck like that permanently, just watch.
I took him through a series of extension mat Pilates exercises that activated his posterior muscles and stretched anterior muscles at the same time. I told him he’s a “rotisserie chicken” because I start him face up, and he ends face down. We also do some nerve and muscle gliding on his legs through a little myofascial release. It’s work for both of us, because when you are this tight, rolling over is really difficult. Within an hour he’s standing straight, taking longer steps, and his back isn’t hurting. When we were done he looked brighter, stood straighter, walked swifter, and was swinging his arms.
I see people who practice balancing on one leg, but it never gets better. However, by releasing the fascia in the calf and activating the calf muscles, all of sudden you can stand on one leg! Remember, you can practice all you want, but if the fascia is “tangled up”, you can’t get those stabilizer muscles to respond.
Take away: Don’t hesitate to have a trained Physical Therapist, Chiropractor, massage therapist or exercise physiologist (like myself) who is trained in myofascial release work on your body. We all have our favorite techniques to do this.
If you have Parkinson’s, your tissues will most definitely be tight, dry, and sticky instead of gliding easefully. Be sure to drink water!! And a lot of it! This will help your tissues hydrate and move better.
I’m also offering a new, five-week Posture School developed specifically for people struggling with tight, stiff muscles, poor posture, and balance issues caused by Parkinson’s. You can find more information about it below!
Never lose HOPE,
💜 Coach Kimberly
Now in Session: Rebel Fit Club’s Posture School!
Coach Kimberly instructs this five-week exercise series to address one of the most problematic symptoms of Parkinson’s: stooped posture, which causes falls, pain, and crowds your breathing and digestion. You will learn lifelong exercises that you can do every day to prevent or treat poor posture. If you want to feel stronger, stand straighter, and move better, contact Kimberly today to get on the list for our next session!
Ready to take back your fight?
Contact me to get started in Kimberly Berg’s Rebel Fit Club Parkinson’s Boxing classes today. We have online workouts, too!
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