• Parkinson's disease affects 1.5 million Americans.
• Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative neurological movement disorder.
• It is considerably more common in people over 60, but the number of people diagnosed at a younger age is increasing.
• As Parkinson's disease progresses, it becomes increasingly disabling, making daily activities like bathing or dressing difficult or impossible.
• Many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease involve motor control, the ability to control your muscles and movement.

   The four primary symptoms of Parkinson's disease are:

• Tremor (involuntary, rhythmic shaking of a limb, head, or entire body)
• Rigidity (stiffness or inflexibility of the limbs or joints)
• Bradykinesia or akinesia (slowness of movement or absence of movement)
• Postural Instability

Intensive exercise can alter the way the brain works and promote recovery

Exercise for Improved Walking and Balance in PD

Scientists have identified four features of exercise that drive neuroplasticity: intensity, specificity, difficulty and complexity.

Walking is very task-specific and complex and is a functional task that we need in our daily lives.

A study shows when PD participants walked in a supportive harness, three times a week, for an hour each time, every characteristic of their walking began to look more normal.

After several weeks of supportive, stabilized walking exercise, balance, as well as gait, had improved.