Pickleball’s positive impact on Parkinson’s

A new study shows pickleball can have a positive impact on Parkinson’s therapy patients.

Physical therapy faculty and students at Creighton University Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix and Midwestern University in Glendale found that a six-week pickleball program helped individuals with Parkinson’s improve upper limb functions, making everyday tasks like buttoning shirts easier.

To date, no other study has analyzed the effects of pickleball on the motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Other key findings include: Participants were, on average, 20% faster at putting on, buttoning and removing a shirt after completing the pickleball intervention and continued to improve to over 35% faster a month later. They also saw improved grip strength and fine motor skills.

This study adds to the growing research on how exercise can improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s.

Jamie Nesbit, PT, DPT and assistant professor of physical therapy at Creighton University Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix, and Suzanne O’Neal, PT, DPT and associate professor of physical therapy at Midwestern University College of Health Sciences in Glendale, joined “Arizona Horizon” to share more on pickleball and Parkinson’s.