Benefits of Exercise and Physical Therapy for Parkinson’s
Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone. When you have Parkinson's disease (PD) exercise is as important as taking your medications on time, every time. Exercise helps to maintain strength, flexibility, balance, and cognitive acuity so you can continue to do the things you have to do and the things you love to do. Physical therapy can help support an effective exercise program through assessments of patient status and advice on the most effective exercises for PD.
These resources will help you understand what research has shown about the impact exercise has on PD symptoms and how you should exercise to reap the most benefit.
If you live in Northern or Central California, you may also be interested in exercise classes in Northern California. Wherever you live, you might also want to check out our lists of live online PD exercise classes and PD exercise videos.
Short, Written Overviews
Can Exercise Help People with Parkinson’s Disease? 4 Things to Know
By Lisa Fields, Yale Medicine, February 17, 2024
In this article, Yale movement disorders specialist Sule Tinaz, MD, PhD, shares four things to know about exercise, including the positive link between exercise and PD symptoms, and which exercises are better for people with PD. She states that while it’s never too late to start exercising not all Parkinson’s patients should engage in high-intensity exercise.
Exercise Is Crucial for Managing Parkinson’s Disease
By Sonya Collins, AARP, May 19, 2025
Exercise not only improves coordination, balance, gait and reduces the risk of falls, but also improves depression, anxiety, sleep troubles, cognitive slowing, and constipation. A growing body of research finds that regular physical activity that gets your body moving and heart pumping, can significantly reduce the severity of PD symptoms and how fast they progress. Read what your weekly 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise should include.
Why exercise is critical for people with Parkinson’s disease
Published by American Parkinson Disease Association, July 20, 2021
This article shares four reasons why it is so important for a person with PD to exercise, including studies that have demonstrated the benefits of exercise on PD risk and severity, maximizing general fitness to meet the challenges of PD and ailments of aging, specific PD symptoms exercise improves, and the neuroprotective benefit to the brain.
Short, Video Overviews
5 Essentials of Exercise for PD
By Daily Dose PD
This 12-minute video explains five tips for PD exercise: consistency, intensity, amplitude, function, and cognition. The last minute is a sales pitch.
Exercise for Parkinson's Disease - Understanding Exercise Intensity & Forced Exercise
By ParkinsonFIT, July 8, 2019
This 26-minute talk explains exercise for Parkinson's Disease, specifically how exercise intensity is measured, and understanding the concepts of vigorous exercise and forced exercise.
My Parkinson's Story: Exercise
By Veteran's Health Administration
In this nine-minute video, a patients, his caregiver, neurologist and researchers explore the relationship between exercise and balance as well as the potential for it to slow the process of the disease.
Talks by Physical or Occupational Therapists
FAQ About Exercise and Physical Therapy
By American Parkinson Disease Association Northwest, May 23, 2023
Guest speaker Teresa Baker, PT, DPT, discusses some of the most common questions about physical therapy as a treatment for PD symptoms as well as some of the challenges she most frequently sees among PD patients, in this episode of Let's Keep Moving With APDA.
Let’s Keep Moving With APDA: Frequently Asked Questions in Physical Therapy
By American Parkinson Disease Association, February 3, 2026
In this one-hour webinar, physical therapists Teresa Baker, DPT, and Sara Crandall Zoeller, DPT, of Boston University’s Center for Neurorehabilitation answer common questions about physical therapy for people living with Parkinson’s. They explain what a PT evaluation includes, why therapy should begin early after diagnosis and how regular follow-up visits can help maintain mobility and prevent decline. The presenters also review key types of exercise and discuss home versus outpatient therapy, insurance considerations and the role of care partners.
Motivation
Motivation and Parkinson's
By PMD Alliance, March 5, 2021
In this one-hour webinar, movement disorder specialist James Morley, MD, PhD, discusses how to chase and bolster the motivation needed to exercise, cope, and live well with Parkinson's.
Self Motivation Tips
By PD-Connect, October 2, 2023
In this one-hour webinar, Eric Egli, PhD, talks about how to get yourself to do something you never wanted to do before (exercise), now that its harder with PD. He addressed legitimate barriers to exercise and shared a Stages of Change model that includes specific steps to success.
Longer Explorations
Exercise as Medicine for Parkinson's Disease
By PD Active, October 16, 2021
In this 80-minute webinar, movement disorder specialist Nijee Luthra, MD, discusses evidence that exercise is preventative for everyone, fending off cardiovascular disease, falls and fractures, depression, lonliness, and back pain.
Movement is Medicine: How Exercise Transforms Parkinson’s Care and Quality of Life
By Sandeep Thakkar, DO, The Caring Neurologist, September 29, 2025
This 40-minute interview is available as a blog post, podcast, or video. In it, Sandeep Thakkar, DO, shares the latest research about the brain-boosting powers of movement, from increasing dopamine and neurotrophic factors to helping regulate mood, sleep, and digestion. He also shares practical tips for building a balanced exercise routine tailored to your stage of Parkinson’s and abilities.
The Neuroplastic Effects of Exercise
By PMD Alliance, July 17, 2020
In this one-hour webinar, speaker Giselle Petzinger, MD, a movement disorder specialist focuses on the role exercise plays in promoting neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways, and how this strengthens cognitive and automatic components of motor control.
Webinar Notes are on the Stanford PD Community Blog.
The Power of Neuroplasticity & Exercise to Improve Movement in Parkinson's
By Parkinson Association of the Carolinas, February 11, 2026
In this one-hour webinar, Jenny Yopp, director of strategic initiatives at The Ivey in Charlotte, NC, discusses the science of neuroplasticity and how consistent, challenging exercise, especially when combined with cognitive tasks, can build new neurons, strengthen neural connections, and improve both motor and non-motor symptoms. She covers the principles that make neuroplasticity work, the role of sleep in consolidating gains, dual tasking, and exercise programs well-suited to Parkinson's.
Webinar Notes are on the Stanford PD Community Blog.
Last updated February 2026 by Stanford's Parkinson's Community Outreach.