Page 27 - Petelin, Ana, and Šarabon, Nejc. 2018. Eds. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Znanstvena monografija / Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 27
Discussion dance and exercise as therapy in patients with oarkinson’s disease – case study 27
Dance and exercise therapy has proven to be an effective means of improving
motor and cognitive abilities. We used dance as a means of improving mobili-
ty and cognitive abilities, while the strengthening and stretching exercises were
primarily aimed at improving the body posture.
Studies using auditory cues provided reliable evidence for improved walk-
ing speed, stride length and cadence (Nombela et al., 2013). Extrinsic cues are
known to facilitate movement, and may provide the input for sequential move-
ments, such as stepping, by reducing the reliance on deficient automatized pro-
cesses (Hallett, 2008). In PD, observed improvements in gait are thought to
be due to synchronizing movement to the temporal expectation of a regular
beat, replacing the impaired internal timing function. Dance also involves ma-
ny weight transfers from one leg to the other, and is therefore probably a posi-
tive influence on walking and coordination skills.
In the memory tests, we saw the greatest improvement in the speed of
cognitive processes - learning the list. In the initial measurements, the subject
needed 8 attempts to list all 12 words, and after the 8th week he needed only 4
attempts. Significant progress was also observed in visual memory, where the
subject had to draw a pattern from memory, after we distracted him. The re-
sults also indicate the improvement of other tests of current and delayed mem-
ory. Patients with PD in other studies also exhibited impairment on tests of
explicit memory. Beato et al. (2008) suggest that levodopa therapy presents a
positive effect on spatial working memory but no effect on complexity.
The progress was most evident in the body posture, which was the most
annoying for the patient before the beginning of therapy. It should be noted
that the images were taken just after the end of the 1st, 9th and 16th training
units and that the posture changes during the day because of the load. There is
still a lot of work to do on the endurance of postural muscles that have become
weak due to improper posture. It is apparent that the main problem arises from
the muscles of the shoulder and pelvic girdle and the back. When we stretched
the psoas muscle, both the posture and walking were improved. That is because
it plays a role in lifting the leg while walking and maintaining a balanced neu-
tral position. By improving thoracic mobility, we achieved greater mobility in
the upper part of the body and easier turning and looking over the shoulder.
The hunched posture strongly affects back pain, as there is a greater strain on
the vertebrae (Bloch et al., 2006; Margraf et al., 2010). Pain also affects the gen-
eral mood of the patient and his ability to perform day-to-day tasks. When the
patient‘s body posture was improved, the overall functionality of the body im-
proved, the patient was able to walk more easily and perform daily tasks with
less pain.
Dance and exercise therapy has proven to be an effective means of improving
motor and cognitive abilities. We used dance as a means of improving mobili-
ty and cognitive abilities, while the strengthening and stretching exercises were
primarily aimed at improving the body posture.
Studies using auditory cues provided reliable evidence for improved walk-
ing speed, stride length and cadence (Nombela et al., 2013). Extrinsic cues are
known to facilitate movement, and may provide the input for sequential move-
ments, such as stepping, by reducing the reliance on deficient automatized pro-
cesses (Hallett, 2008). In PD, observed improvements in gait are thought to
be due to synchronizing movement to the temporal expectation of a regular
beat, replacing the impaired internal timing function. Dance also involves ma-
ny weight transfers from one leg to the other, and is therefore probably a posi-
tive influence on walking and coordination skills.
In the memory tests, we saw the greatest improvement in the speed of
cognitive processes - learning the list. In the initial measurements, the subject
needed 8 attempts to list all 12 words, and after the 8th week he needed only 4
attempts. Significant progress was also observed in visual memory, where the
subject had to draw a pattern from memory, after we distracted him. The re-
sults also indicate the improvement of other tests of current and delayed mem-
ory. Patients with PD in other studies also exhibited impairment on tests of
explicit memory. Beato et al. (2008) suggest that levodopa therapy presents a
positive effect on spatial working memory but no effect on complexity.
The progress was most evident in the body posture, which was the most
annoying for the patient before the beginning of therapy. It should be noted
that the images were taken just after the end of the 1st, 9th and 16th training
units and that the posture changes during the day because of the load. There is
still a lot of work to do on the endurance of postural muscles that have become
weak due to improper posture. It is apparent that the main problem arises from
the muscles of the shoulder and pelvic girdle and the back. When we stretched
the psoas muscle, both the posture and walking were improved. That is because
it plays a role in lifting the leg while walking and maintaining a balanced neu-
tral position. By improving thoracic mobility, we achieved greater mobility in
the upper part of the body and easier turning and looking over the shoulder.
The hunched posture strongly affects back pain, as there is a greater strain on
the vertebrae (Bloch et al., 2006; Margraf et al., 2010). Pain also affects the gen-
eral mood of the patient and his ability to perform day-to-day tasks. When the
patient‘s body posture was improved, the overall functionality of the body im-
proved, the patient was able to walk more easily and perform daily tasks with
less pain.
