Exercise
Cycling Can Help Patients with Parkinson's
In 2003 Jay Alberts, PhD, Cleveland Clinic, was riding RAGBRAI on a tandem bicycle with Cathy, a person with Parkinson’s. After they had been riding together for a few days, he noticed a significant improvement in her physical abilities, most notably her handwriting. As Cathy wrote postcards to her family from across Iowa, Dr. Alberts observed that her handwriting became more controlled and legible. This led to Dr. Alberts’ wondering whether exercise, specifically cycling, helped improve function in a person living with Parkinson’s.
Exercise Has Become Part of Parkinson’s Therapy
This discovery served as the inspiration for a groundbreaking research study by Dr. Alberts and movement disorder neurologist, Dr. Bas Bloem, Radboud University. Funded by the Davis Phinney Foundation, the outcome of this research completely reversed the common practice of prescribing rest for Parkinson’s. Doctors now routinely prescribe physical activity as part of Parkinson’s therapy, leading to a much higher quality of life.