New physical exercise program for people with Parkinson's

Núria Ripoll

The URJC together with the manager of sports facilities have carried out an initiative that, in addition to aspiring to obtain greater knowledge about the disease and its possible treatments, will have a very positive social impact on people with Parkinson's disease. This experimental initiative offers patients a personalized report of the evolution of their disease, based on various parameters when walking.

Patients will be able to go to GO fit Vallehermoso, GO fit Físico and the URJC Sports Studies Center to carry out their assessment completely free of charge and without the need to be a gym membership. In less than an hour they will obtain a report with detailed knowledge of their walking capacity and its evolution.

"A study of these characteristics allows us not only to better understand the disease and its possible interactions with drugs, but also to explore the role that physical exercise has in improving the health and quality of life of patients," explains Alfonso Jiménez Gutierrez, Professor of Physical and Sports Education at the Rey Juan Carlos University and director of research and innovation Go fit Lab. 

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's. It is estimated that in Spain there are around 300.000 people who suffer from this disease. One of the main symptoms is difficulty walking, affecting the independence and quality of life of these people.