I love the saying, “Motion is the lotion when you have Parkinson’s Disease.” I’ve used it for years with my personal training clients because it is a clever way to remember a powerful message. With sitting or resting too much, painful joints can become more painful. Moving your body regularly keeps joints and soft tissues flexible.
People will tell me that their doctor said to rest their back/knee/etc., but the truth is that moving is the therapy. Here’s why: it is widely accepted by doctors, physical therapists, trainers and other body workers that the body’s soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, and muscles) will shorten and tighten if not moved through their full range of motion on a regular basis. If soft tissue is inflamed, it becomes more swollen if it is held still or isolated. When that joint is moved again, it will feel tight and painful. This makes the person feel like it’s a bad idea to move it, and they go back to resting which ultimately makes the condition worse.
When sore tissues are gradually moved in a gentle, non-aggressive way they become less painful! This is not only true of pain, but also helps the healing process by getting the synovial and other lubricating fluids flowing. My Pilates mentor calls it getting rid of the “GOO” – the thick goopy fluid in a joint that limits range.
Any person over 40 will tell you that sitting or sleeping for too long stiffens you up. If you have arthritis you know you feel stiff when you first wake up, but as you get moving you loosen up and feel much better. Regular daily appropriate exercise is a great way to manage painful symptoms and is certainly a must to manage Parkinson’s stiffness in general.
When my fighters tell me that they are going to skip boxing for a couple of weeks to baby an injury, I invite them to come to class anyway and do gentle range of motion exercises (not full-on intense exercise) instead of resting. A good coach will know how to modify exercises and be able to provide alternatives that can help heal an injury.
Staying at home “resting” can become habit forming and make the condition worse. Our biggest enemy in the fight against Parkinson’s is the recliner chair. Recliner chairs will cause you to stiffen up, become isolated, and apathetic. Instead, do something! Keep moving and soon you’ll be back to your old self.
I cannot count how many of my fighters have thanked me for getting them back earlier than they thought they should. Always seek out professionals who can help you rehab your injuries if you are not improving in a week or two. Keep fighting my friends.
💜 Coach Kimberly