Boxing improves Parkinson's symptoms, study finds

A study found the sport - without an opponent - helped improve participants' scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, a tool used to measure the disease's progression and severity.

The group also reported a reduction in fatigue and improvements in sleep.

Ten people with early-stage Parkinson's disease and had an average of 60 participated in the study, which involved three one-hour boxing sessions per week, over 15 weeks.

Rather than an opponent, the group did battle against a Fightmaster boxing unit, a commercially available device which has 11 padded punching targets mounted to a stand.

The program had three distinct segments: an introduction to boxing, a high-intensity component and a cognitively challenging segment.

Participants completed two-to-three-minute "rounds" where they were required to strike the various pads in different sequences, followed by no more than two minutes of rest.

Heart rate monitors were used throughout the exercises to see the cardiovascular load on participants, while scales measured their perceived levels of exertion from a physical and cognitive standpoint.

Once the program finished, nine out of 10 participants improved their score on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

One of the researchers, Dr Travis Cruickshank from ECU's Centre for Precision Health, said group boxing has the benefit of combining many aspects of therapy, such as exercise, cognitive stimulation and socialisation, into a single exercise.

"In the past, I might have been working with people with Parkinson's and we'd have exercises in a gym, then a separate computerised cognitive training program, and another event for the social aspect," he said.

"With boxing, we can combine all of those and deliver it really quickly, which makes it all more enjoyable and people will stick with it."

Being able to roll out boxing in treatment plans for the disease is one of Dr Cruickshank's goals, which will first require trials with larger groups at various stages of advancement.

"Once we've established the therapeutic effectiveness with larger trials - then it will be ready to be implemented in the community," he said.

At this stage, the study has established the concept of using boxing as a feasible therapeutic option.

Despite the high intensity of many of the workouts, participants reported no increase in muscle soreness from the program, nor major injuries, which may be expected for people with Parkinson's. This meant every person completed the 15-week program with almost 97 per cent of training sessions completed.

"In fact, after we finished the study, everyone chose to buy a Fightmaster and have it installed in their home," Dr Cruickshank said.

"So, in the future programs such as this could be run in people's homes or in clinics, it could be self-administered, supervised in a clinic or done remotely via telehealth so people in regional areas can still be included.

"We know the camaraderie and positive relationships formed between the members in the study also served as a motivator.

"These social benefits cannot be understated, particularly given the link between socialisation and emotional wellbeing."

Fellow author and person living with Parkinson's disease, Clinical Professor David Blacker (Perron Institute medical director, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and The University of Western Australia), is a strong advocate for exercise.

"Exercise has significantly helped to reduce my symptoms," Professor Blacker said.

"The WA study provides a depth of feasibility and safety data, methodological detail and preliminary efficacy for periodised non-contact boxing that is not described elsewhere.

"It provides a useful basis for future studies of boxing training for PD."

The study, FIGHT-PD: A feasibility study of periodised boxing training for Parkinson disease, was published in PM&R, the official journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.