Rock climbing is a full-body activity that can be done in a controlled environment with the safety of a harness and rope system. The angles of indoor-climbing walls range from very steep to slanted forward, and climbing walls vary greatly in difficulty and movements needed to complete a route.

The holds to grab and step onto can be placed far apart or close together. They can be big so as to use the entire hand or small for just the fingertips.

Climbing requires big movements in conjunction with visual cues (colorful climbing holds) and verbal cues from a belayer. Your balance, weight shifting, speed of movements, hand-eye coordination, and mapping out the route are all important aspects of climbing that get better with practice. You work everything from your toes and glutes to your core and fingertips when climbing.

Not to mention rock climbing is fun and rewarding, making it an activity that people are likely to stick with. Click here to watch a demo video of our founding climber Michelle.

Many assume correctly that rock climbing is a great cardio workout that strengthens your muscles while being low impact. Few exercises rival rock climbing in terms of the sheer number of muscles required.

What many people don’t know is how impactful rock climbing can be for brain health. Studies show that skilled sports — especially rock climbing — can increase and strengthen your motor cortex plasticity, which makes rock climbing an excellent sport for people living with Parkinsons Disease.

Getting to the top of a climbing wall requires a high level of exertion, which is also proven to be important in Parkinsons Disease therapy. The physical challenges of climbing, along with the mental planning needed, make it a perfect therapy.

Click here to watch a video about the benefits of rock climbing for people living with Parkinsons, and below are studies too:

• Effectiveness of sport climbing in Parkinsons disease

• Climbing improves posture in Parkinsons disease

• Therapeutic climbing in Parkinsons disease

Up Ending Parkinsons is fundraising to conduct proprietary research studies, and we’re open to partnering with other organizations. If you’re interested in learning more, please email our founder Molly Donelan-Cupka: molly@upendingparkinsons.org

Parkinsons Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominantly dopamine-producing neurons. Symptoms generally progress over the years, at different rates for different people. There is no cure for the disease, but there are helpful medications, therapies, and surgeries that can help alleviate some symptoms.

While there are various medications to treat the symptoms, exercise is the only universally known treatment to slow the progression of the disease. Parkinsons symptoms can be movement-related (“motor”) or unrelated to movement (“non-motor”). People with PD are often more impacted by their non-motor symptoms than motor symptoms, which can be difficult to identify and treat.

Motor symptoms include:

Tremors
Resting tremors are the most common PD symptom, which tend to subside during exercise and sleep. About 70% of people with PD have tremors, either externally or internally (not visible).

Bradykinesia and general slowness
Bradykinesia is a slowness of movement, which can happen in different ways and is often unpredictable due to the ups and downs of PD medication.

Difficulty with automatic movements

Difficulty initiating movements

Abnormal stillness or decrease in facial movements

Rigidity
Stiffness typically occurs in the limbs but can also occur in the trunk of the body or the face. Stiffness can cause tremendous pain, which can negatively impact activity and sleep.

Dystonia
Dystonia is sustained or repetitive muscle twisting, spasms, or cramps that can be very painful. Dystonia can occur in the hands, feet, arms, legs, neck, eyes, vocal cord or swallowing muscles, and jaw.

Posture instability
Balance problems and falls can be a result of posture instability. Posture instability is the one of the toughest to treat symptoms of PD, but exercise and physical therapy can help greatly.

Dizziness
Due to a chemical imbalance in the nervous system, people with Parkinsons Disease can be more susceptible to a drop in blood pressure which can result in fainting, headaches, weakness, inability to think clearly, or blurred vision.

Dyskinesia
Dyskinesia is involuntary, erratic movements of the face, arms, legs or trunk. The movements are often fluid, but they might also cause rapid jerking or slow and extended muscle spasms. These are not symptoms of Parkinsons itself; they are side effects from some Parkinsons medications.

Walking/gait problems
Due to a combination of the symptoms above, walking typically becomes difficult for people with PD, especially in later stages of the disease.

Non-motor symptoms include:

Apathy
A lack of interest or motivation can interfere with the management of PD, since apathetic people might be less inclined to do things like exercise.

Anxiety
2 out of 5 people diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease experience some form of anxiety due to changes in the brain chemistry that comes with the disease.

Depression
Due to an imbalance in brain chemicals that regulate mood, many people with PD experience depression. Depression can intensify symptoms of PD and become a slippery slope if left untreated.

Constipation

Sleep behavior disorders

Loss of sense of smell

Cognitive impairment
Feelings of distraction or disorganization can accompany cognitive impairment, along with finding it difficult to plan and accomplish tasks.