With Parkinson’s disease, the upper back gets really rigid and stiff. This rigidity, compounded by forward rounding, prevents it from rotating correctly. As a result, the lower back (designed to stabilize, not rotate) must take over, leading to lower back pain. Using pool noodles, this seated exercise can help treat upper back rotation.
Continue reading “How to Use Your Noodle to Improve Parkinson’s Upper Back Rotation”
With Parkinson’s disease, the rib cage gets stiff and flexes forward, causing a lack of rotation in the spine. This stiffness, compounded by the “lats” (the muscles in your back that attach to your arms) getting tethered down, causes difficulty when reaching and straightening your arms. When you can’t rotate in your upper back (thoracic spine), your body will start to compensate by rotating and extending parts of your body that are not meant to rotate. This almost always results in shoulder or back pain.
Furthermore, the eyes may have difficulty tracking a moving or stationary object or finding the next line in a book when reading.
Continue reading “Improve Parkinson’s Stiff Back and Eye-Tracking Issues With This Seated Noodle Exercise”
Many people with Parkinson’s disease struggle with frozen shoulder and impingement from the forward stooped posture and tight chest. This chest tightness prevents the shoulder from rotating correctly, resulting in terrible pain, dysfunction, and can keep you from participating in your regular exercises. Using a pool noodle cut in half, you can improve and prevent Parkinson’s shoulder impingement with this seated or standing exercise.
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I recently gave my Coaches an assignment to come up with a seated exercise. I handed Gail a pool noodle cut in half, and—voilà—a new easy, very effective seated exercise is born.
This exercise is a great way to start your day or end your day to loosen up and improve your postures. It: Continue reading “How to Use Your Noodle to Improve Parkinson’s Stooped Posture”
Parkinson’s is notorious for causing neck pain and poor posture, which we know causes neck and upper back pain. Did you know for every inch your head protrudes past your normal alignment, you add 10 pounds of extra force on your neck? It can add up to muscular spasm, premature joint arthritis and nerve impingement. Let’s fix this!
