The Tango: New Parkinson’s Therapy at He's Fit

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The Tango: New Parkinson’s Therapy

Posted February 18, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: In The News, His Fitness, Cardio Training, Injuries & Rehab, Alt. Therapies, His Health, Physical Health

tango A new study recently reported in the New York Times finds that people suffering from Parkinson’s disease can improve their balance by taking tango classes. Problems people face with Parkinson’s disease include difficulty keeping balance, shuffling, or turning while walking, often causing them to fall down.

Madeleine E. Hackney of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the lead author of the study, took 19 patients with Parkinson’s disease and gave them either 20 exercise or tango classes. Exercise classes focused on movement for an hour, while tango classes, focused on balance, movement, footwork, and timing. Both groups showed improvement with their movements, but only the tango students showed improvement with balance.

The study was limited to only a small number of students and a small number of classes taken. Further studies will have to be done to show the extent of the improvement in Parkinson’s disease patients. Although it is limited, the study can tell us that exercise may be the key to offset the severity of the disease and lessen the symptoms.

There are many exercises that can be done to improve coordination, footing, and balance. Symptoms in each patient may vary; therefore a doctor should be consulted for recommendations about which exercises may be appropriate for each individual patient. Exercise classes may be better for people who are in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. Those in later stages with more severe conditions may want to consider therapy to relearn certain motor skills. For more information about the disease itself, visit http://www.pdf.org/AboutPD/.

Research sources and for more information: [NY Times]; [pdf.org]