Why exercising in the gym isn’t the answer for neurologically based conditions

1. Neurologically based conditions are organisational problems. A better organisation must be taught to the person to be able to function and to participate in everyday life.
The damage is in the nervous system, which is responsible for conducting, organising, coordinating and fine-tuning movements essential to actively, intentionally and deliberately move the body.
The nervous system as it is in the name is a system, every part is interconnected, interwoven and interrelated with the other parts.
Exercises don’t address the needs of the damaged brain and nervous system to organise the body in time and space to serve the ability to function well and purposefully.

2. With neurological conditions the range of movements are always reduced or overextended to varying degrees, so while exercising the person only reinforces the limited and/or dysfunctional range, which could lead to damaging the joints in a variety of ways and this could also lead to more pronounced postural problems. Basically they are exercising with what they’ve got in a repetitive manner.

3. When the nervous system is damaged often pathological reflexes and patterns are at work while the body also compensates for lost functions and with exercises those patterns, reflexes and those compensatory solutions are reinforced.

4. When the person with a neurologically based condition is exercising the position of the non-involved parts of the body is often overlooked and this could lead to using pathological patterns to perform the exercise, could lead to increased flexor and extensor spasticity and could create deformities.

5. High intensity exercising itself creates acidic conditions in the body which leads to inflammation and tissue damage. High intensity is different for each individual case with different abilities. Most of the individuals with neurological conditions are on various medications that are already responsible for increased acidity in the body. The combination of the two reduces the body’s health and vitality. People sometimes confuse fitness with  health. One can be fit but unhealthy.

6. Exercising could be responsible for creating a more resistance-based existence for both the body and the mind.

If you would like to learn more join me in Oxford on 5th October 2019.

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The reason for writing this blog post.
Last week a new participant joined one of our classes with Parkinson’s. He has been exercising for years in a small old local hospital in a gym for people with neurological conditions. It is a privately run therapy based initiative. With his wife he thought that he did the best he could. As his condition got to the point that the gym wasn’t an option anymore the wife contacted us and was distraught not knowing what to do next. Obviously in the gym the symptoms and manifestations of Parkinson’s were not addressed.

Her husband couldn’t even sit on a chair safely anymore without falling to the side and he is unable to lie down flat. He spends most of his time in a big armchair and sleeping in half sitting up on an electrically controlled raised back bed.

Isn’t it time for all of us who know what can be done to join forces and contribute on a bigger scale to the world?

One conductor from the older generations said recently

quote “all the dreams have died with Dr Mária Hári.” unquote

But we are still here.

 

 

Posted in Blog.