By Elizabeth Grover
So you have heard about the Parkinson Foundation recommendations for exercise. You know you need to do Parkinson-specific exercise. But how do you know which exercise class offers a PD-specific workout? Now the Parkinson Foundation (a national organization whose mission is to improve care for people with Parkinson’s and to advance research toward a cure) has started its program to accredit programs that train exercise instructors in PD-specific methods. Of the first three programs that achieved this accreditation, two are available in our area.
The first of these is PWR! Moves, an exercise framework that is flexible and evidence-based (and updated frequently to include the latest research). It addresses target skills specific to PD. The most fundamental of these skills include antigravity extension, weight shifting, axial rotation, and transitional movements – all done with amplitude, i.e. BIG!. (The corresponding PWR! Moves are PWR! Up, PWR! Rock, PWR! Twist and PWR! Step. In a PWR! Moves class, these are all practiced in a variety of positions – standing, sitting, all 4's, prone, and supine). Improving these skills can translate to improved mobility, increased physical capacity, and a reduction in freezing and gait problems. And remember, exercise is the only treatment that has been proven to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.
PWR! Moves training courses (which is what the PDF accredits) train the instructors that work with the people with Parkinson’s. These courses are offered on two levels. One is for clinicians such as physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and occupational therapists and is intended to prepare them to work one-on-one with patients. The other is for exercise professionals who teach group classes or work with clients one-on-one. The course for exercise professionals has just been updated to include all the competencies that the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation has set, making it possibly the best PD-specific course available anywhere.
The PWR! Moves system was developed by Dr. Becky Farley, who pioneered the LSVT BIG program; LSVT BIG was the first amplitude-focused PD-specific approach. Dr, Farley then continued to develop the concept so that PWR! Moves now represents a new and improved LSVT BIG. (PWR! Moves is also available to exercise professionals of all kinds, whereas LSVT BIG can only be taught by a physical therapist.)
We are fortunate that PWR! Moves classes are available in our area. The biggest PWR! presence in the Cincinnati area is foreverfitness; Sarah Palmer (513-404-1918) has offered PWR! Moves classes for more than ten years and currently has nine classes a week – two in person, six online and one hybrid. She also offers a membership level with previously recorded classes that is extremely affordable. Other PWR! Moves classes are available with Tyler McLean and his staff at NeuroRehab and Balance Center in Centerville (937-801-4109) and Shannon Gray at St. Elizabeth in Northern Kentucky (859-212-4200).
Next month, we will share more about the second accredited program in our area, Rock Steady Boxing.