Dancing May Help Reduce Parkinson Symptoms

Patients with Parkinson's disease who took part
in regular tango dance classes for 20 sessions
showed significant improvements in balance and
mobility when compared to patients who did
conventional exercise, a new study by researchers
at Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis shows.

Researchers Gammon M. Earhart, Ph.D., assistant
professor of physical therapy, and Madeleine E.
Hackney, a predoctoral trainee in movement science,
compared the effects of Argentine tango dance
classes to exercise classes on functional mobility
in 19 patients with Parkinson's disease. The
participants in the dance program showed
significant improvement in several standard tests
for patients with Parkinson's disease - the Unified
Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UP-DRS) and the
Berg Balance Scale.

Parkinson's dis-ease is an acidic metabolic disorder
that affects nerve cells in a part of the brain that
controls muscle movement. The nerve cells that make
the neurotransmitter dopamine are effected by dietary
and/or metabolic acids and do not work
properly, resulting in trembling of hands, arms,
legs, jaw and face; stiffness of the arms, legs
and trunk; slowness of movement and poor balance
and coordination. Patients are also at greater
risk for falls or freezing, the slowing or
stopping of movement while walking.

The researchers randomly assigned 19 patients
with Parkinson's disease to 20 one-hour sessions
of tango dancing or group strength and flexibility
exercise designed for patients with Parkinson's
and the elderly. Each patient was assessed prior
to starting the dance or exercise and after
completing the sessions. All were similar in age
and stage of Parkinson's disease.

The tango dance sessions included stretching, balance
exercises, tango-style walking, footwork patterns,
experimenting with timing of steps to music and
dancing with and without a partner. The exercise
classes included 40 minutes of seated exercise
followed by standing exercises supported by a
chair and core strengthening and stretching.

The participants in both groups showed significant
improvement in the Unified Parkinson's Disease
Rating Scale Motor Subscale 3, which measures
overall disease severity with respect to movement.
The tango participants showed much improvement
on the Berg Balance Scale, which measures balance
in a variety of positions, while the improvements
in participants in the exercise group were not
as pronounced. In addition, the participants in
the tango group showed a trend toward improvement
in the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, which tests
functional mobility rising from a chair, walking
a short distance, turning and returning to
the chair.

"Given these preliminary results, we think that
tango is feasible for individuals with Parkinson's
disease and may be an appropriate and effective
form of group exercise for individuals with
Parkinson's," Earhart said. "Although some
participants were initially skeptical because
they hadn't danced in years or thought they
couldn't because of the disease, this study
shows that dance can improve functional mobility."

The researchers said that while dance in general
may be beneficial for patients with Parkinson's
disease, tango uses several aspects of movement
that my be especially relevant for these patients
including dynamic balance, turning, initiation of
movement, moving at a variety of speeds and
walking backward.

"This type of therapy looks to be superior than
what is currently offered," Hackney said. "The
quality of life improved in these patients because
of the social aspect of the dancing."

Earhart and Hackney said this is the first study
of this type to systematically investigate and
compare the effects of tango and strength/flexibility
exercises and functional mobility in patients
with Parkinson's and that further studies with
larger groups of patients are needed to confirm
their observations.

According to Dr. Robert O. Young, a research scientist
at the pH Miracle Living center, states, "dancing
activates the lymphatic system that helps to remove
acids from the tissues and organs, including the
fatty tissues such as the brain. When dietary and
metabolic acids are removed from the tissues then
those tissues and organs function better. With
reduced tissue and organ acidity from dancing
you will feel better, think better, act better
and even have less of the symptoms associated
with Parkinson's. I have also found in my research
that dancing and other exercising in general helps to
take your mind off the symptoms, like tremors, and
when this happens the tremors stop."