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It started with a handshake.
Shirley Jagger started noticing the tremors about 15 years ago, and decided to visit her family doctor to find out why. He told her she had Parkinson’s disease.
“It’s hard for people to understand. Sometimes you think he’s upset and sometimes you think he’s malicious,” she said.
She started taking medication for the disease, but knew she wanted to find more activities to keep her busy.
At age 79, she found the Grizzly Strides Boxing program at Grizzly Boxing and Fitness in northeast Calgary. The program is specifically designed for people living with Parkinson’s, allowing them to build their balance, increase reaction time and connect with fellow Calgarians living with the disease.
Six years later, Jagger says the program is a lifesaver.
“When I can’t get here, the Parkinson’s gets worse. You get more shaky … it’s just like walking slower, slower, and like a blur,” she said.
Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease. Most commonly, it causes tremors, problems with balance and a slow, stiff gait—frozen, some call it. According to Parkinson’s Canada, approximately 100,000 Canadians are living with Parkinson’s disease, and the number is rising.
Karen Lee, CEO of Parkinson’s Canada, says the causes of the disease still need more research.
Aging is a specific risk factor. They are also looking at the influence of genes, pesticides and other environmental factors.
There is no cure yet.
“There are many medications and treatments that can help reduce the symptoms that people may experience from Parkinson’s disease. It does not stop the progression of the disease,” Lee said.
“[What’s] It is very important how to live a happy life? And I think exercise programs, health, are a big part of that. “
Don Mallory, 54, started showing signs of Parkinson’s in his early 30s. He said it took a while to diagnose because he was so young and there were no tests to make a proper diagnosis.
He has been with the Grizzly program for five years and combines his health and mobility with his passion for exercise.
“People without Parkinson’s don’t think about the effort it takes to walk, for example,” he said.
“It’s maintaining your lifestyle as much as you can, and this is another way of doing it.”
Grizzly Strodes
In the boxing gym, participants move through a series of exercises.
They punch lighted circles with their boxing gloves, duck under cables and work on footwork and sparring. At the same time, they are distracted by the cognitive challenges of simulating real life.
In 2016, a gym dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with the disease was owned by Darcy Irwin.
“One of the things we do is focus on balance and movement, which we pull from the sport of boxing,” she says.
“When you have Parkinson’s, balance can be challenging over time, and falling is the ultimate enemy, in this case. So we’re constantly working with students to help them cope with the challenges that come with it.”
Jagger immediately noticed the difference in her talent. When she joined a gym six years ago, one of the instructors suggested she try skipping. She practiced at home and in the gym, and soon, she took it down. She eventually transitioned to non-combat boxing.
“The boxing stance also helps you in an outdoor environment, the way you stand it’s not so easy for people to walk in and knock you over,” she said.
Mallory said he appreciates being able to train with people who have Parkinson’s.
“So even though the disease affects everyone differently, it’s a good social event to try to connect with someone in the same boat as you,” he said.
“It’s really like a big family.”
But boxing is just one of the ways he and Jagger fight the disease.
Ambulosono
After class, Mallory sits down to fasten the brace on his knee with a small sensor. It connects to an app called Ambulosono that plays music when it starts walking.
For him, it’s 80s rock like Journey or Def Leppard.
When his movement or action is too small – a sign of Parkinson’s – the music stops. He will have to take big steps to start over.
The man behind the project is Dr. Bin Hu, a professor in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Calgary. He is focused on Parkinson’s research.
Although drugs and brain stimulation help, one of the most promising areas of treatment for the disease is rehabilitation and exercise, he said.
He and his team are investigating how a combination of exercise and music therapy can encourage participants to increase their stride length or walking distance.
“It reminds you when your steps are very small. You add them and repeat them over and over again, and your walk automatically becomes bigger… little by little, it forms a habit,” he said.
He says music is a stimulant because it activates reward pathways in the brain.
The study has been running for more than a decade and has more than 4,000 participants worldwide.
Grizzly Boxing partnered with the university last year to help participants use the app at the gym.
“In any case, we’ve seen concrete evidence that this can help keep the person from freezing. … They can take that next step, they can get their normal activities back,” Irwin said.
Mallory participated in the study for over a month.
“Even if it doesn’t help me specifically, if it can help other people get rid of Parkinson’s, that’s definitely worth doing,” he said.
Jager is also using the app.
At the gym, she practices high-energy lunges while standing against a wall. When she lifts her legs far enough, her music — especially the accordion polka songs — stops.
“Movement is the key. The more you slow down, the longer you stay,” she says.
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