Research studies the benefits of golf in patients with Parkinson’s

Some patients report the benefits of practicing this sport in the treatment of pain.

A group of patients has already started practicing ‘swing’ on a golf course as therapy to better cope with Parkinson’s diseasewithin the framework of a study by the Hospital de Sant Pau to evaluate the benefits of this sport.

Estimates indicate that one in every 100,000 people by the age of 60 will suffer from Parkinson’s disease, a chronic, progressive and multisystem pathology. Symptoms worsen over time and, in the final stages, complications such as motor and non-motor fluctuations, dyskinesias (voluntary movement disorders and the occurrence of involuntary abnormal movements) may appear. , mental and behavioral disorders.

The Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Research Group of the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) initiated a scientific study to evaluate the possible cognitive, motor and emotional effects and benefits of golf in patients with the disease this neurodegenerative.

Before and after each weekly session, researchers at the Sant Pau Research Institute will use a mood questionnaire to detect short-term emotional changes in these patients.

In 12 week study duration, a final evaluation will be conducted, and the evaluation and publication of the results is planned for June or July of this year. During the first golf sessions, Montse Arroyo, one of the participating patients, already noticed the improvement….and more: “I started to notice something last week…and some pains the next day, too!”, he jokes.

Since the start of the project, the patient explained to EFE that he has gained “agility and calmness,” and he also has an “open mind,” so he does not doubt the benefits and encourages other patients to try it .

Training a low-impact sport (walking, yoga, pilates, swimming, skating, cross-country skiing, or golf) provides a complete workout that promotes range of motion, upper and lower body muscle activation, flexibility and balance that has been shown to help reduce falls in people with Parkinson’s disease.

In addition, it combines moderate physical activity, good motor coordination, concentration and strategy, elements that can help improve motor function, coordination, flexibility, balance, cognition and mood.

Now, the team led by Sant Pau neuropsychologist Carmen García-Sánchez wants to provide scientific evidence on these benefits, specifically in golf, as a complementary intervention to existing pharmacological treatments and rehabilitation therapies.

A study is necessary, according to the researcher, to quantify the benefit and determine how to manage this sports activity when treating patients. “We aim to assess changes and benefits at the cognitive, emotional and motor levelsGarcia-Sánchez explained to EFE.

The study is financially funded by the Golf with Parkinson’s Association and with the support of the Barcelona Golf Club, the Catalan Golf Federation and the Barcelona Golf Academy, which provides the technology and software necessary for the acquisition and measurement of data that will allow in evaluating the evolution of patients.

Fountain: EFE