Sport Climbing Tied to Improved Posture in Parkinson's Disease
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Sport climbing can help improve posture in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), including older patients, new research suggests. In a randomized controlled study, those who participated in scaling a wall using ropes and fixed anchors were less stooped at 12 weeks than a control group that participated in some form of unsupervised physical activity.
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@tasmeen The analysis is part of a larger project that included a study published last year showing a reduced Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) score by almost 13 points in patients who participated in sport climbing. The activity was also significantly associated with improved bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor. The current analysis focused on stooped posture, which in addition to motor symptoms is a common feature of PD. This postural deformity can result in significant discomfort, pain, and decreased quality of life. Pharmaceutical treatments are mostly ineffective for postural deformities, researchers note. Physical therapy may help improve symptoms, but only a few randomized studies have examined improved posture in PD using physiotherapy in general and alternative sports in particular.