2023-05-03 17:13:00
Wednesday 3 May 2023 / 21:13
New research at Edith Cowan University in collaboration with boxer Ray Fazio and several institutions has found that boxing without an opponent is a valuable way for people with Parkinson’s disease to improve their quality of life.
In the study, 10 people with an early stage of the disease participated in 3 boxing sessions for one hour per week, over a period of 15 weeks.
According to the site Medical ExpressInstead of an opponent, participants fought a Fightmaster, a commercially available device containing 11 padded punching targets on a stand.
After the 15-week program, 9 of the 10 participants had improved scores on the Standardized Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, a tool used to measure the progression and severity of Parkinson’s disease.
The group also reported a decrease in fatigue and an improvement in sleep.
Co-author Dr Travis Cruikshank said: ‘Boxing has grown in popularity among those living with Parkinson’s, despite the lack of evidence to support its use.
“So, what we’ve done is look really aggressively at the feasibility of a boxing program for Parkinson’s patients, which hasn’t been done in the past.”
The training loads were monitored and appropriate for heart health. Despite the high intensity of many of the exercises, the participants reported no increase in muscle soreness from the program, and no major injuries, which might be expected in people with Parkinson’s disease.
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