Punching back: HOPE boxing program helps Parkinson无毛视频檚 patients put disease on ropes
When Ralph DeLucia was diagnosed with Parkinson无毛视频檚 disease at age 57 in 2012, he never thought he无毛视频檇 be bobbing and weaving, or punching heavy bags in a boxing gym 12 years later.
After learning that Parkinson无毛视频檚, a disease that affects the nervous system, would progressively impair his motor function, DeLucia, of Finleyville 无毛视频� who enjoyed mountain biking and skiing 无毛视频� wasn无毛视频檛 sure what his life would look like.
But in 2017, he saw a segment on a local news station about HOPE (Helping Overcome Parkinson无毛视频檚 Everyday), a program run by Wolfpack Boxing Club in Carnegie designed to use boxing to help Parkinson无毛视频檚 patients manage the symptoms of the disease.
DeLucia was intrigued, so he decided to check out the program.
He无毛视频檚 glad he did.
无毛视频淚t was probably the best thing that happened to me since I was diagnosed,无毛视频� said DeLucia. 无毛视频淲hen I heard about (HOPE), I无毛视频檇 already had Parkinson无毛视频檚 for five years, and to that point, I had not met anybody else who had Parkinson无毛视频檚. I walked into this place and I had an immediate support group, people who were experiencing the same things I was experiencing.无毛视频�
DeLucia has been boxing four days a week ever since.
People face a range of motor and non-motor complications, but among the most common symptoms are slowing of the body, rigid muscles, balance impairment, and tremors.
Seven years after walking through the gym doors, DeLucia feels good. On a recent Thursday, DeLucia and a group of regulars spent 75 minutes punching speed bags, practicing punches, doing footwork and balance exercises, and performing calisthenics.
无毛视频淲hat has helped me is, I无毛视频檓 a lot more flexible and have better balance now. We do balance exercises, we do core exercises, and a strong core is important for your balance. We do a lot of body weight exercises and boxing, things I wouldn无毛视频檛 be doing if I weren无毛视频檛 here,无毛视频� said DeLucia.
Jeff Mucci owns Wolfpack Boxing Club and started the club in January 2017, about a month after a man with Parkinson无毛视频檚 walked into the gym and asked if Mucci offered a boxing program for those battling the disease.
无毛视频淗e came in in December of 2016, and I felt so bad about not knowing anything about Parkinson无毛视频檚, so after he left, I looked into it and by January I got certified and started a program,无毛视频� said Mucci. 无毛视频淲e started with five members, and grew it to 60 at one point.无毛视频�
Mucci is passionate about the program. He bears a tattoo on his left arm of a pair of boxing gloves and the word HOPE. He said boxing provides physical and cognitive benefits for people living with Parkinson无毛视频檚.
无毛视频淚 love these guys. I enjoy them and I want them to get better,无毛视频� said Mucci. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 become a community. I see how much HOPE means to them, and there is so much camaraderie. The No. 1 thing I want people with Parkinson无毛视频檚, or people who know someone with Parkinson无毛视频檚, to know is it无毛视频檚 always intimidating to walk through the door the first time, but at the end of the day, if you do nothing it gets worse tomorrow because it无毛视频檚 a progressive disease. So why not do something?无毛视频�
The program 无毛视频� which includes all aspects of boxing except for contact fighting 无毛视频� is designed for people with different abilities and in different stages of the disease.
无毛视频淲e do focus on getting a good mix of boxing drills and cardio, and we make sure we practice footwork a lot because that无毛视频檚 one of the challenges a lot of people with Parkinson无毛视频檚 disease face 无毛视频� balance issues, gait issues, and even coordination issues 无毛视频� so we really spend a lot of time focused on their footwork and proper boxing stance. That无毛视频檚 helpful for anyone, but especially helpful for Parkinson无毛视频檚 patients,无毛视频� said Chelsea Lane, a Wolfpack coach and HOPE instructor. 无毛视频淎nd the drills will be modified whenever someone needs to.无毛视频�
Templeton Smith of Mt. Lebanon started boxing at Wolfpack after his neurologist recommended the program about five years ago. Smith, whose father and grandfather battled Parkinson无毛视频檚, has been living with the disease for six years.
He boxes four days a week and rarely misses a class, in an effort to stay ahead of the disease.
无毛视频淚 was a bit of a couch potato before this. Parkinson无毛视频檚 got me down for a little bit after I got diagnosed, but now I need to come here. There are mornings I get up and think, 无毛视频業无毛视频檓 not going to go today, I don无毛视频檛 feel like it.无毛视频� Then, when I get here, I think, 无毛视频業 might as well do it,无毛视频� and then halfway through the class, I无毛视频檓 glad I came. It keeps me moving and they play good music, and I feel great. My favorite part of it is chasing someone around the ring. I don无毛视频檛 sting like a bee, but I think I float like a butterfly,无毛视频� Smith quipped.
Training as a boxer develops the physical and mental functions weakened by Parkinsons, such as muscle control, balance, and mental focus. In non-contact boxing, like the boxers at Wolfpack participate in, fighters don无毛视频檛 take any punches to the body or head, but they do punch bags and mitts.
For the boxers, HOPE allows them to embrace their lives with intention, despite fighting a degenerative disease. It gives them a sense of control, and provides psychological benefits.
无毛视频淭he boxing, for me, is just a lot of fun, and I need a group to work with. I无毛视频檓 one of those people that I无毛视频檓 not going to work out on my own,无毛视频� said DeLucia. 无毛视频淲e can talk about our medications and things we无毛视频檙e going through, or not. We can just enjoy boxing or lunch. Regardless of what you have going on, if you无毛视频檝e got people who are going through the same thing it makes a huge difference. I did not understand that until I walked into this place seven years ago. We hold each other accountable.无毛视频�
In boxing, like life, everyone gets knocked down. What无毛视频檚 important is getting back up, and the boxing program helps them do that, said Dr. Donald Ours II, a sports medicine physician at UPMC Washington.
无毛视频淎 Parkinson无毛视频檚 disease diagnosis is pretty traumatic. It无毛视频檚 a progressive disease these patients have to deal with for a long time, and a lot of times we see patients with chronic disease are at a high risk of depression, so getting them together with a group of people at the gym dealing with the same thing and having the same goal 无毛视频� let无毛视频檚 exercise, let无毛视频檚 box 无毛视频� is super important,无毛视频� said Ours. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 awesome that (Wolfpack) works to provide a program that provides another avenue for people dealing with Parkinson无毛视频檚,无毛视频� said Ours.
Ours cited a 2022 study that concluded boxing has a positive impact on quality life, along with balance.
Boxing, it turns out, can help improve core strength, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, balance, and voice and speech issues (Parkinson无毛视频檚 patients often experience reduced volume).
He noted how coaches call out punches using a 1 through 6 number system, and the boxers have to throw punches that correspond to that sequence 无毛视频� for example, one, two, three would be a jab, right cross and left hook combination.
无毛视频淕oing through that progression helps them cognitively, as well as physically,无毛视频� said Ours.
Wolfpack offers Parkinson无毛视频檚 classes four days a week, and usually about a dozen men and women attend the sessions.
Wolfpack无毛视频檚 Lane said boxers in the Parkinson无毛视频檚 class believe the sport has helped slow down progression of the disease and helps with symptoms.
无毛视频淲e absolutely have wins here. I had someone come in every morning and use the speed bag, and he would often say that after doing the speed bag for five minutes, the tremors in his hands would disappear for hours,无毛视频� said Lane, who looks forward to teaching the class.
无毛视频淭his is selfishly the most fulfilling and rewarding job that I无毛视频檝e had. I have learned so much and grown so much from seeing what the people in the class accomplish. They inspire me on a regular basis; it无毛视频檚 amazing what they push through. I am passionate to help them meet their goals and do what I can to help them through what they无毛视频檙e working against.无毛视频�