Parkinson’s disease (PD) is among the most common neurodegenerative disorders, with over 10 million people worldwide living with it. In the U.S. alone, about 90,000 new cases are reported annually, and the number of people living with PD is expected to reach 1.2 million by 2030. This disorder leads to various degrees of disability and a decreased quality of life.
These statistics may look grim, but researchers are finding ways to treat and cope with Parkinson’s disease. One such researcher is Dr. Jennifer Trilk of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville. She conducted a pilot study with her colleagues to explore how tandem cycling may boost the health and overall well-being of people with PD and their caregivers.
The team presented their findings at the American Academy of Neurology’s 76th Annual Meeting in April 2024. The study showed significant improvement among people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers.
Tandem cycling as a Parkinson’s disease treatment
This tandem cycling program included nine pairs of participants, including nine people with PD and their caregivers. A tandem exercise typically involves a stationary bike that accommodates both a non-disabled person and a person with PD. The caregiver usually pedals faster than the person with PD, encouraging them to pedal faster than they could on their own, facilitating physical and cognitive benefits.
Before starting the eight-week exercise program, both sets of participants completed a six-statement questionnaire to test resiliency. The questionnaire included questions like: “I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times,” and participants ranked their perceived ability on a scale of one to five.
Participants living with PD also completed additional disease-associated tests, including physical examinations, to assess the severity and progression of the disorder over time. They also filled out a questionnaire reporting the difficulties in their daily lives, including social interactions, personal relationships, and communication.
All participants repeated the same tests two days after completing the program.
How tandem cycling may improve the well-being of people with Parkinson’s
After the second round of tests, researchers found that people with Parkinson’s disease improved across all their tests. The study showed that tandem cycling improved mobility and walking speed and reduced disease progression and disease burden. Participants also reported “fewer difficulties in daily living,” indicating an overall improvement in their social interactions, relationships, and communication.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include stiff muscles, loss of coordination, weakness, bradykinesia (slow movement), and tremors. According to this study, exercising in tandem may have even greater benefits for people with Parkinson’s than exercising alone. One of the most widely accepted theories is that exercises, such as tandem cycling, trigger the release of neurotrophic hormones in the brain, such as dopamine, which slows the degenerative effects of PD.
Reducing the ‘care burden’ of caregivers
People with Parkinson’s did not show improvements in resiliency after completing the cycling intervention. However, their caregivers reported individual improvements in resiliency and depression scores. Trilk and her team believe the cycling intervention may help reduce the “care partner burden.”
“Our study found that a unique cycling program that pairs people with Parkinson’s disease with their care partners can improve the physical, emotional and mental well-being of both cyclists to improve their quality of life,” Trilk said. “It is just as important that care partners also receive care, so that is why we included them as the cycling partner. The goal of our small study was to determine if tandem cycling was beneficial. The next step will be to confirm the results with subsequent studies that would include more participants.” (American Academy of Neurology)
She believes if a more extensive study confirms these findings, a tandem cycling intervention can improve the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of the person living with PD. This cycling program may be a godsend not only for people suffering from complex neurodegenerative disorders, but also for those around them.
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