Words by Smiley Team
Many people love to dance, but did you know the hobby could have health benefits, too?
Dancing to music could halt the progression of the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, a new study has found. And researchers believe these results could help aid long-term rehab programmes for those who live with the condition.
The disease, which is a brain disorder that affects movement, usually gets gradually worse over time. Researchers from York University in Canada decided to see if a weekly dance practice could help the symptoms of people who live with it.
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For the study, they recruited 16 people – with an average age of 69 – who had a mild case of Parkinson's Disease (PD). They went to weekly dance classes for an hour and a half for three years (between 2014-2017). The researchers also compared this group to a control group of 16 people who didn't participate in dance classes.
Throughout the three years, they monitored everyone's psychological and physical symptoms, as well as aspects of their daily living, including speech, chewing, and swallowing.
Publishing their findings in the paper Brain Sciences, the researchers found those who took part in weekly dance classes saw significant improvements in speech, tremors, balance, and rigidity. Unlike those in the control group, movement and psychological symptoms did not deteriorate over the three years.
“Generally, what we know is that dance activates brain areas in those without PD. For those with Parkinson’s disease, even when it is mild, motor impairment can impact their daily functioning and how they feel about themselves,” explained senior author of the paper, Dr. Joseph DeSouza.
“Many of these motor symptoms lead to isolation because once they get extreme, these people do not want to go out. These motor symptoms lead to further psychological issues, depression, social isolation, and eventually, the symptoms do get worse over time. Our study shows that training with dance and music can slow this down and improve their daily living and daily function,” he adds.
Image credit: Madrugada Verde / Shutterstock.com
