Researchers based in southwestern Ontario are testing whether a new exercise therapy can help people with Parkinson's disease to get moving.

Studies suggest that exercises such as yoga may help people with Parkinson's, but there is no scientific evidence to show which exercises work best.

Prof. Quincy Almeida of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., hopes to find out which exercises will help improve movement in people with Parkinson's.
(CBC)

Kinesiology Prof. Quincy Almeida of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., has designed a clinical trial to find out which exercise may help patients to better control their movements.

In Parkinson's disease, the force behind, timing of or size of movements is impaired, which can lead to tremors on one side of the body, generalized slowness of movement, stiffness in the limbs and gait or balance problems.

The experimental exercises include:

• Slowly walking to a beat.
• Wearing glow-in-the-dark slippers to help people concentrate on how and where their feet are positioned as they walk.
• Using rubber bands to exercise.

The study has expanded to include three YMCAs in Ontario. When all the data is analyzed, Almeida hopes to develop an exercise program that could be used across the country. Under the plan, anyone with Parkinson's disease could walk into the local gym to access the program.

"There's been a tremendous response across the country to the point that some people are interested in moving here to Waterloo for a 12-week period just to receive the exercises," Almeida said.

Neurologist Janis Miyasaki at Toronto Western Hospital is more cautious, saying that in her experience, no single exercise program addresses the needs of all people with Parkinson's disease. People need to find what works for them, she said.

"I don't care what gets them to exercise, as long as they're exercising and they're getting out there and staying active," Miyasaki said. "That, to me, is a huge factor in how they do."

Parkinson's has slowed down Peter Hallman, who spent years in his workshop to renovate his home in Kitchener, Ont. The neurological disease has caused his hands to shake, slowing his efforts to perform simple tasks like pulling nails out of wood.

Hallman said Almeida's exercise program has helped him to stay limber to perform tasks such as tying up his shoes, or moving his neck to check blind spots when driving. His goal now is to maintain the mobility for as long as possible.

Currently, about 100,000 Canadians are living with Parkinson's.