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Punching against Parkinson’s

Fitness boxing lands counterpunch in Parkinson’s Disease fight

Submitted Photo A woman with Parkinson’s Disease punches a bag during a boxing class in this photo provided by Rock Steady Boxing in Indiana.

Parkinson’s patients are punching back against their disease. They are donning boxing gloves and fighting to regain physical functions stolen from them.

Taiya Bohn, director at Family Wellness in Mandan, said she’s seen participants in the center’s Rock Steady Boxing classes for Parkinson’s patients make visible progress.

“I have people coming with canes or their walkers, and here they go down to do push-ups or burpees. They do those activities that you wouldn’t think they would be able to do, and when you see them boxing, they are putting that power- and maybe even some of those frustrations that you have from your daily life activities – into that exercise and out of your body,” she said.

Family Wellness recently tested participants who began when Rock Steady Boxing began last September and found their conditions either improved or at least maintained rather than continued to deteriorate. Much of the improvement occurred in balance, agility and speed, Bohn said.

“We have numbers to prove that they improved, as well as they mention they feel better,” she said. Participants who may need a cane normally will find they can manage without one for a couple of days after their workouts, she said.

Submitted Photo A boxer with Parkinson’s works out with Rock Steady Boxing in Indiana in this photo from the organization.

Bohn spoke to the Minot Parkinson’s Support Group May 2 about Rock Steady Boxing, a nonprofit corporation based in Indiana and founded in 2006. As of March 2017, the organization reported fitness curriculum affiliates in 45 states and six countries. The first affiliate in North Dakota was in Grand Forks. Now classes also are offered in Fargo as well as Mandan.

Rodger Martin, owner of Moore’s Martial Arts in Minot, can vouch for the benefits of boxing, kickboxing and martial arts for people with Parkinson’s. He has two students with Parkinson’s who have been training with his studio for a year.

“They are seeing a slowdown in the Parkinson’s Disease progress and are keeping their abilities for motion and eye-hand coordination and strength of their body overall,” he said.

Martin said he is looking into Rock Steady Boxing and is interested in working with more people with Parkinson’s. One of his regular martial arts students, Tilman Jones, is a massage therapist who also has worked with Parkinson’s patients and shares an interest in the exercise aspect of treatment. Jones said he has seen impressive results using massage techniques to encourage circulation of cerebral spinal fluid and believes certain exercises could provide additional benefits.

Martin said he has the facility and equipment to provide the boxing. Some boxing skills already are incorporated into his Parkinson’s class being offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. People with Parkinson’s are welcome to attend other classes at the studio to get in additional workouts, he said.

Submitted Photo Brian Knight stretches before getting moving at Moore’s Martial Arts Parkinson’s group class May 3.

The studio is located at 110 1st St. SE but will be moving June 1 to a handicapped accessible location near 31st Avenue and South Broadway,

Martin said his Parkinson’s classes are designed to work participants hard but at their own levels and abilities.

Forced, intense exercise has been scientifically shown to reduce, delay and even reverse some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s, according to Rock Steady Boxing.

Research shows any exercise is good for Parkinson’s, but the intense activity of boxing is particularly helpful, Bohn said. During the Rock Steady Boxing program at Family Wellness, participants navigate through a half-hour circuit of different activities, modified to each person’s ability level, during the hour-long class that includes warm up, core and cool down exercises. A “corner man,” such as a spouse or caregiver, is recommended to assist if a person has balance and dizziness issues.

“The idea of the program is that it follows the fundamentals of a boxing program – working agility, muscle endurance, speed, eye-hand coordination and just overall strength,” said Bohn, who received training at Rock Steady Boxing’s Indiana training center in February 2016.

Although participants work hard, the program is designed to be fun, she added.

“There’s also the social aspect,” she said. “You might not be in the same stage of the disease, but they all have Parkinson’s Disease so they are there to support each other.”

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