Originally Posted by
Paul1
Anyway, in principle I don't see any reason not to do weight training, but it depends first and foremost on how functional you are. The motor problems in Parkinson's are mainly at rest -- and they get better when you initiate movement. The midbrain's suppression of unwanted movements is deficient in Parkinson's, but this can be somewhat overcome when you send a more deliberate motor signal to the muscles -- so, for instance, many patients have this "pill rolling" tremor in their fingers, but when they point or write or something it gets suppressed.
This leads me to think that lifting a weight will actually suppress the symptoms while the weight is being lifted. It isn't going to really do anything for the disease itself -- I mean if the problem is dopamine deficiency in the substantia nigra of your midbrain, then no squat is going to fix that. But if you're stronger and fitter it's only going to help you maintain mobility and functionality for longer.