To read more on this topic, click here.
Brazilian dance could improve mobility in people with Parkinson’s, study finds
News
Author: Sophie BatesPublished: 10 September 2020
Prep: Cook: Serves:
Researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil compared participants in a 12-week programme, inspired by samba and forró dances, with those in a walking exercise programme to measure improvement in their functional mobility and gait.
The 18 participants had an average age of 68.6 and had all been diagnosed with Parkinson’s over a year ago.
The results, published in journal BMC Neurology, found that both groups showed significant improvements in mobility and balance tests. Participants in the dance group showed increases in stride frequency at a self-chosen test speed and a reduced swing time (the amount of time the foot is off the floor) at a fast speed.
The results indicated that dance was as “effective as walking in improving functional mobility”.
The researchers wrote: “It is essential to find different activities that can offer benefits to individuals… so that they can engage in the one that best ensures wellbeing and pleasure.”
For more information on the latest Parkinson’s research please visit the Parkinson’s Europe website.
Read more:
#WomenAndParkinsons shortlisted for ‘Charity Content Campaign of the Year’
Researchers present in-depth review of 145 clinical trials for Parkinson’s
Last Month
Next Month
Share this story
Related articles
Recipes & nutrition
A simple summer recipe for people with Parkinson’s disease
Chef Zarela Martínez shares how to make a refreshing salad
READ MOREInterviews
‘My album was an excuse to talk to my mother about Parkinson’s’
Canadian musician Joseph Shabason tells us about his album on Parkinson’s
READ MOREPerspectives
Poem for World Parkinson’s Day: “Parkinson’s can be a state of mind, rather than an illness”
Daily Parkinson’s poet pens new piece for World Parkinson’s Day
READ MORE
Comments