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Although it may seem simple, reaching your arm overhead is a complex movement, requiring the coordination of multiple parts of your skeleton. Your shoulder blades (scapula) and your arm bone (humerus) have to work together in a simultaneous, synchronized pattern.

When this movement pattern is disrupted, a cascade of problems occurs, leading to pain and mobility issues. Routinely encouraging your shoulders, shoulder blades, and spine to move in a supported range of motion is crucial to counteracting the stooped posture and associated pain that are common in Parkinson’s disease.

The Foam Roller Scissor Exercise is a great way to improve your posture and support a healthy range of motion through your shoulders and back. All you’ll need is a full-size (36-inch) foam roller. Watch this video to learn how to do it:

Continue reading “Do This Scissor Exercise To Improve Parkinson’s Stooped Posture and Back Pain”

When you have Parkinson’s disease, you should always be thinking about how you are going to exercise. If you think of life as an athletic event (which it is!), you will have to train like an athlete.

First, you should come up with your goal. Is it to travel? Spend more time gardening? Go on hiking adventures? Or maybe you just want to be able to walk or dance with your sweetheart again?

Once you have your goal, then you’ll have to train for that!

Continue reading “You Need To Train Off-, Pre- And Regular Season for Your Parkinson’s Exercise Routine”

Parkinson’s stooped forward posture is painful and really causes a lot of gait and balance issues. It can be one of the most distressful symptoms of Parkinson’s.

This next exercise is great for anyone wanting to improve their posture or prevent problems from starting in the first place. It’s all about strengthening the upper back. These muscles act like a back brace, and strengthening them doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment—just a lightweight resistance band and an anchor point above your head.

Continue reading “You Need To Do the Face Pull Exercise To Improve Your Parkinson’s Stooped Posture”

Forward head posture (FHP) is a common Parkinson’s symptom where your head is positioned forward in front of your body’s vertical midline. Neutral head posture is when your ears line up with your shoulders and midline. FHP can cause neck pain, stiffness, an unbalanced gait, and other side effects. It’s also often associated with rounded shoulders and stooped posture.

The weight of your head on your spine increases from about 10 pounds in the neutral position to a whopping 49 pounds when your head is hunched forward at a 45-degree angle. If your head is protruding forward, the muscles in the front of your neck get shorter and tighter, and those at the back of your neck get longer and weaker.

Continue reading “Is Your Head on Straight? Improve Your Parkinson’s Stooped Posture!”

I was asked to go into more detail about the hand warming technique I shared last week. I figure if one person is asking, more people might want to know!

Last week I showed you some great warm-up and cool-down techniques that you can easily do at home with items you probably already have in your pantry—dry rice and popcorn kernels. I learned these methods from my client Nancy, an Occupational Therapist and certified Hand Therapist who also has Parkinson’s.

Continue reading “Part 2: Warm-up Technique To Treat Parkinson’s Painful Stiff Hands”