Cycling Provides a Break For Some With Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the central nervous system; it is considered a movement disorder that impairs motor skills. Some of the symptoms include: tremors, muscle rigidity, slowing or loss of the ability to physically move. This is both a chronic and progressive disease, meaning that it cannot be cured and that it worsens over time. Since PD is a neurological disorder, the cause is damage to the brain, including the death of specific brain cells that cause movement.
Recently, it was found that cycling may be a plausible way for patients with this debilitating disease to exercise efficiently while doing a normal everyday activity, improving their quality of life. Some patients that have even lost the ability to walk are able to ride miles on their bicycles, freeing them from the confines of their disorder. It is also believed that regular exercise slows the progression of the disease, which is also important, since there is no cure.
Doctors are unable to explain at this point how these severely affected patients that are unable to walk can ride their bikes in such a remarkable way. One explanation is that PD may not affect the part of the brain that involves riding a bike or the rhythmic movement of the pedals allowing the nervous system to conduct a cycling movement. Although all of the symptoms return when the patient gets off of the bike, it still provides an excellent cardiovascular workout for people that may otherwise be unable to exercise.
I am particularly interested in this article because my dad is an avid cyclist. Although he does not have Parkinson’s disease, I found it very interesting that the sport he loves so much is one that is able to help patients that have trouble even walking to exercise normally.

link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/health/01parkinsons.html?ref=health

Charlcie Northrop
VTPP435-502