Dancing the Tango May
Help Fight Effects of Parkinson’s
Summary
Canadian Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute
of McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health
Centre investigated whether or not dancing the tango could prevent motor
dysfunction and non-motor symptoms in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s
disease.
The tango, a famous Argentine dance, could possibly improve
balance and functional mobility. This dance is fairly slow place, and can be used
to assist in improving balance. This can be done by a specific combination of recurring
backward and forward steps.
In the study conducted, forty patients were recruited and
randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the first group, the participants
participated in partnered tango lessons for a total of twelve weeks. The
remainder participants completed self-directed exercise. Upon completion of the
intervention, changes in motor measures such as tremors, rigidity, and gait
dysfunction. In addition, non-motor measures like depression, fatigue, and
cognition was observed among the groups.
The findings from this study concluded that the tango
lessons given definitely improved balance and functional mobility in patients
diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Additionally, the tango lessons served as an agent
in decreasing fatigue in these patients, and boosting cognitive function. The patients
who participated in this study admitted that there were positive improvements
in their mood and social life, and they stated that they found tango dancing to
be enjoyable.
Analysis
In high school, I completed clinical hours at a skilled nursing
facility, in preparation for the Certified Nursing Assistant exam. There, I
often worked with individuals who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Dances,
such as the tango, is one that I would have least expected to improve the lives of
people who have Parkinson’s primarily because it is not an everyday dance that I
think of. This troublesome disease is most definitely one that can be hard to
manage. Knowing that the patients who participated in this study had a positive
experience, is humbling to me.
Shané Lennon
12:53am
4/20/15
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