When Movement is Medicine: Evidence-Based Exercise for PD

Exercise is more than just staying active, it can play a key role in preventing and managing Parkinson’s disease (PD).

How Exercise Helps People with PD

Regular exercise improves:

• Balance, mobility, and gait

• Tremors, stiffness, and fatigue

• Mood, cognition, and independence
  

A review of 48 clinical trials showed no serious adverse events from exercise in people with PD, with participants completing over 90% of planned sessions - proving exercise is safe and feasible.

Exercise and Brain Health in PD

Research in animal models and early human studies suggests exercise may:

• Increase neurotrophic factors like BDNF that support brain cell survival

• Enhance dopamine function and brain connectivity (shown by PET and MRI scans)

• Promote structural brain changes linked to better motor and cognitive function
  

While still early, these findings point to exercise potentially slowing disease progression.

Exercise Lowers PD Risk

Large studies involving over half a million people found that those doing moderate to vigorous exercise had a 21–29% lower risk of developing PD. Men with higher aerobic fitness were found to be 76% less likely to develop Parkinson’s.

Bottom Line: Move for Your Brain and Body

Exercise is one of the most powerful tools to support brain health in PD - whether preventing it or managing symptoms.